NZ Fashion Week’s secret plan to bring big tobacco to the catwalk

Several labels turned down a proposal that would have seen a multinational cigarette manufacturer pay their fees and venue costs. Business editor Maria Slade reports. Fashion designers were offered the opportunity to stage a show at this year’s New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) virtually for free – if they accepted help from tobacco company Philip … Read more

Face facts: some smokers will never quit. So how do we help them?

Today is World Smokefree Day, and we’re presenting two views on the future of tobacco and nicotine use. Here the NZ Initiative’s Jenesa Jeram argues for a ‘harm reduction’ approach – one which includes tobacco products. Today on World Smokefree Day, it is time to listen to the needs and preferences of smokers. Yes, that … Read more

How can we make World Smokefree Day irrelevant by 2025?

Today is World Smokefree Day, and we’re presenting two views on the future of tobacco and nicotine use. Here the co-directors Otago University’s tobacco-control research group ASPIRE 2025 explain how we can build on existing success to make New Zealand almost entirely smokefree by 2025. New Zealand has a world-leading goal to reduce smoking to … Read more

The Spinoff reviews New Zealand #58: Cigarette plain packaging

Cigarettes, once sold in brightly coloured packets that were highly appealing to children, will now be drab and mostly covered by dire warnings. The Spinoff’s smoking correspondent Alex Braae reviews the new plain packaging.  I remember watching New Zealand play in the Benson and Hedges cricket World Series when I was a kid. In fact, … Read more