2025 and smoke-free

New Zealand has unveiled an ambitious plan to make the country smoke-free by 225, wiping out smoking in all public places. The only other country with a similar policy is Finland, which plans to be smoke-free by 24. The proposal, which was devised after months of hearings, has been welcomed by doctors and given cautious support from the government, which said that smoking was a health hazard but that it would be difficult to completely eradicate it. About 2 per cent of New Zealand’s 4.4 million general population smoke, but that rate is doubled among Maori. “The goal is simple: We want tobacco consumption and smoking prevalence to be halved by 215 across all demographics and New Zealand to be a smoke-free nation by 225,” the report said.