Back in the 1970s, more than one in three New Zealanders were cigarette smokers.
Even up until the mid-90s you could spot the Marlboro logo in Formula 1 races; Benson and Hedges was spruiked at cricket matches; the actual NRL grand prize, the Winfield Cup, was named after a brand of cigarettes.
But over the past couple of decades, the landscape has utterly changed.
Cigarette advertising was banned, as were sponsorships. Airplanes went smokefree - then bars and restaurants.
A decade of relentless tax hikes sent the price of a packet of smokes into the stratosphere: nowadays, a pack of 20 cigarettes will set you back more than $30.
A decade of relentless tax hikes sent the price of a packet of smokes into the stratosphere: nowadays, a pack of 20 cigarettes will set you back more than $30. The youth rate - 15-17 year-olds who smoke every day - is down at 3 per cent; an 80 per cent drop compared to 15 years ago. And with the government s goal of a Smokefree New Zealand by 2025 less than four years away, associate health minister Ayesha Verrall has called in the cavalry, unveiling a suite of proposals which she hopes will be the final nail in the coffin for the number one cause of preventable death worldwide.
MIL-OSI New Zealand: Researchers welcome Smokefree 2025 Action Plan foreignaffairs.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from foreignaffairs.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Researchers welcome Smokefree 2025 Action Plan livenews.co.nz - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from livenews.co.nz Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.