New Zealand’s Smoke-Free Revolution: Harm Reduction, Not Prohibition, Is Winning the Fight Against Smoking

New Zealand’s near smoke-free success proves harm reduction works—science, compassion, and safer alternatives beat prohibition in cutting smoking rates dramatically.

While many countries remain locked in battles over bans, taxes, and fear-based messaging, like Sweden, New Zealand is the verge of becoming one of the first truly smoke-free nations in the world. A fact that neighbouring Australia should take note of, is that this hasn’t happened through fearful slogans or punitive crackdowns. Instead, it’s the result of science-driven policy, compassion for smokers, and a steadfast commitment to harm reduction.

At the centre of this transformation is Associate Health Minister Casey Costello, who has become one of the most outspoken champions of safer nicotine alternatives in global public health. Her recent address to Parliament delivered a simple but powerful message: the way to cut smoking rates is not by outlawing tobacco overnight, but by giving people practical, less harmful alternatives and supporting them to make the switch.

A decade of evidence, not ideology
Since 2011, New Zealand’s adult smoking rate has been nearly halved—from 13.1 percent to just 6.9 percent in 2024. Of course this drop was no accident, but the outcome of a deliberate and effective public-health strategy. One which recognises the limitations of traditional quit campaigns and embraces safer alternatives like vaping as legitimate cessation tools.

Rather than doubling down on outdated approaches that often stigmatise smokers, such as their Australian peers, Kiwi policymakers integrated vaping into smoking-cessation services, making it easier for smokers to find and use less harmful products. This practical, inclusive approach helped people quit without the moralising or coercion that often alienates those who need help the most.

The results speak for themselves: in less than a decade, New Zealand has cut smoking rates faster than many nations have managed in generations—and it’s on track to meet the WHO’s “smoke-free” definition of less than 5 percent daily smoking.

From panic to progress
In her parliamentary speech, Costello directly addressed the wave of “scaremongering” and ideological attacks on vaping that have emerged in recent years. She highlighted that public-health leadership should focus on supporting long-term, addicted smokers with real tools—not scare tactics or virtue-signalling campaigns.

Her stance has resonated far beyond New Zealand. Dr. Delon Human, head of the Smoke Free Sweden initiative and former Secretary-General of the World Medical Association, praised her refusal to give in to prohibitionist rhetoric. “New Zealand has achieved in less than a decade what many countries have failed to do in generations,” he said, pointing to her evidence-based leadership as a model for others.

Earlier this year, Sweden became the first country to be very close to reaching a smoke-free status largely through its acceptance of low-risk nicotine products such as snus and nicotine pouches. These alternatives have kept Sweden’s smoking rates—and smoking-related disease rates—the lowest in the EU. New Zealand has adapted this harm-reduction model for the modern era, using vaping as its main tool for switching smokers away from combustible tobacco.

By embedding vaping into its cessation programs, regulating products for safety, and ensuring access for adult smokers, New Zealand has replicated Sweden’s success in a completely different cultural and regulatory context. These results prove that the harm-reduction principle is transferable: give people appealing, affordable, and less harmful nicotine options, and smoking rates will collapse.

Casey Costello and the common-sense campaign
Smoke Free Sweden and other harm-reduction groups have highlighted one of Costello’s most important insights—that there will always be some long-term, heavily addicted smokers who cannot or will not quit nicotine entirely. For these individuals, the public-health priority should be reducing the harm caused by their nicotine use, not punishing them for failing to abstain completely.

This pragmatic view runs counter to the abstinence-only ideology still dominant in some countries, where vaping bans, flavour restrictions, and punitive taxes risk pushing ex-smokers back to cigarettes. By contrast, openness to safer alternatives demonstrates a respect for personal agency and a focus on outcomes over optics.

Refusing to sway – choosing science over slogans
New Zealand’s path to smoke-free status has not been without challenges and Costello has also been recognised for her willingness to confront powerful prohibitionist voices. Opposition has been constant, and debates over vaping’s role in public health remain heated. But by maintaining a steady focus on what actually reduces smoking, the country has kept its policy aligned with its public-health objectives.

Dr. Human commended Costello for refusing to “recoil from the fight” when faced with campaigns to ban or restrict life-saving alternatives. In an era where many politicians shy away from politically sensitive debates, her commitment to standing by the evidence sets her apart. Her position is reinforced by global health figures like Professor Robert Beaglehole, who has described New Zealand as “leading the world in reducing smoking” and providing a roadmap for other nations.

What can the world learn?
The lesson from New Zealand is clear: when policymakers embrace harm reduction, listen to front-line quit-smoking workers, and resist scaremongering, rapid progress is possible. The country’s success has been built on trust in adult smokers, access to regulated alternatives, and a refusal to conflate youth-protection policies with barriers to adult harm reduction.

Smoke Free Sweden is urging governments worldwide (hello Australia) to study New Zealand’s approach and consider how similar strategies could accelerate progress toward smoke-free goals in their own countries. That means separating youth protection from adult access, grounding policies in real-world evidence, and rejecting ideology-driven restrictions that keep smokers trapped in the most harmful form of nicotine use—combustible cigarettes.

For those who believe in the potential of tobacco harm reduction to save lives, New Zealand’s story is more than encouraging—it’s proof of concept. With courage, compassion, and commitment to evidence over dogma, a nation can dismantle its smoking epidemic in a matter of years, not decades.

If other countries follow suit, the global burden of smoking-related disease could be cut dramatically in our lifetime. That’s not just a political victory—it’s a public-health revolution in the making.