Nicola Willis told TV3's Newshub Nation that New Zealand First and Act were "insistent" the smoke-free legislation be reversed. "We have to remember that the changes to the smokefree legislation had a significant impact on the government books, with about a billion dollars there," she said. Public health experts said legislation could have saved the health system $1.3b over 20 years. Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Professor Lisa Te Morenga said scrapping the legislation would cost thousands of lives, with the worst impact on Māori. "We had believed that Shane Reti supported the Smokefree legislation ... so to hear they're going to repeal it is really a gut punch."

Source: Otago Daily Times November 25, 2023 03:47 UTC