Latest news with #AsthmaandRespiratoryFoundationNZ
Scoop
29-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Smokefree 2025: A Promise Gone Up In Smoke
Press Release – Asthma and Respiratory Foundation of New Zealand As the globe marks World Smokefree Day this Saturday, 31 May, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is reminding Kiwis that this was the year New Zealand was meant to become smokefree. Smokefree 2025 was within reach. Now, it's a milestone we're set to miss. As the globe marks World Smokefree Day this Saturday, 31 May, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is reminding Kiwis that this was the year New Zealand was meant to become smokefree. 'Instead, the Government rolled back the clock and stoked the fire, derailing years of public health progress,' Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says. Ms Harding says there is little to celebrate and much to be concerned about. 'We were on track to lead the world in tobacco control, now we appear to be leading the world in vaping. 'Our previous Smokefree laws were bold, evidence-based, and targeted at protecting future generations, but the repeal of those measures blindsided everyone.' The Foundation has been one of the strongest advocates for a smokefree Aotearoa for many years. It backed policies that would have phased out tobacco sales for future generations, reduced nicotine levels, and supported drastically cutting the number of retailers. Back in 2021, the Foundation celebrated the bold steps taken toward Smokefree 2025, calling it a 'significant step forward' in reducing respiratory disease and health inequities, particularly for Māori and Pacific communities. Fast forward to today, and the mood has shifted. The Foundation has been vocal in its disappointment over the coalition Government's decision to roll back key Smokefree laws, warning about the implications to the health of New Zealanders and a missed opportunity to lead the world in tobacco control. At the same time, the Foundation is deeply concerned by the new approach to achieving Smokefree Aotearoa – simply shifting the problem to vapes. 'The Government's strategy seems to be 'let's just add vapes to the mix', which is just another product that has harmful health effects and ensures future generations are nicotine dependent,' said Ms Harding. 'As we have said previously, that rationale is like letting stoats in to eradicate rabbits – that's not a solution. 'We're not breaking the cycle of nicotine dependency – we're just redirecting it,' she says. 'Let's free Aotearoa from the shackles of big tobacco, who make money on the back of nicotine dependency.' The goal shouldn't just be a smokefree New Zealand – it should be vape-free too, Ms Harding says. 'Otherwise, we're just chasing a new kind of addiction – and calling it progress.'
Scoop
29-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Smokefree 2025: A Promise Gone Up In Smoke
Smokefree 2025 was within reach. Now, it's a milestone we're set to miss. As the globe marks World Smokefree Day this Saturday, 31 May, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ is reminding Kiwis that this was the year New Zealand was meant to become smokefree. "Instead, the Government rolled back the clock and stoked the fire, derailing years of public health progress," Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says. Ms Harding says there is little to celebrate and much to be concerned about. "We were on track to lead the world in tobacco control, now we appear to be leading the world in vaping. "Our previous Smokefree laws were bold, evidence-based, and targeted at protecting future generations, but the repeal of those measures blindsided everyone." The Foundation has been one of the strongest advocates for a smokefree Aotearoa for many years. It backed policies that would have phased out tobacco sales for future generations, reduced nicotine levels, and supported drastically cutting the number of retailers. Back in 2021, the Foundation celebrated the bold steps taken toward Smokefree 2025, calling it a "significant step forward" in reducing respiratory disease and health inequities, particularly for Māori and Pacific communities. Fast forward to today, and the mood has shifted. The Foundation has been vocal in its disappointment over the coalition Government's decision to roll back key Smokefree laws, warning about the implications to the health of New Zealanders and a missed opportunity to lead the world in tobacco control. At the same time, the Foundation is deeply concerned by the new approach to achieving Smokefree Aotearoa - simply shifting the problem to vapes. "The Government's strategy seems to be 'let's just add vapes to the mix', which is just another product that has harmful health effects and ensures future generations are nicotine dependent," said Ms Harding. "As we have said previously, that rationale is like letting stoats in to eradicate rabbits - that's not a solution. "We're not breaking the cycle of nicotine dependency - we're just redirecting it," she says. "Let's free Aotearoa from the shackles of big tobacco, who make money on the back of nicotine dependency." The goal shouldn't just be a smokefree New Zealand - it should be vape-free too, Ms Harding says. "Otherwise, we're just chasing a new kind of addiction - and calling it progress."
Scoop
04-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
"Please Don't Die Today" - A Mother's Fight Against Asthma
"I love you, Mummy. Please don't die today." That's what Jade Steven's five-year-old son whispered to her one morning before school. For Jade, a mother-of-three from Wellington, those words captured the fear that comes with living - and parenting - while battling asthma. This World Asthma Day (on Tuesday 6 May), Jade, 37, is sharing her story to raise awareness of those living with asthma. Jade was diagnosed in her late 20s with brittle asthma - a rare and severe form of the disease, more commonly referred to now as severe or difficult-to-control asthma. At the time, she was being admitted to hospital nearly every month, with long stays in intensive care and repeated courses of oral steroids. All this while raising three young boys. "I wanted to be the kind of mum who could be there for everything - every school pickup, every bedtime story - but instead, hospital beds replaced family dinners. "I'll never forget the moment I dropped my youngest off at school one day. He was just five. He kissed me goodbye, paused, and whispered, 'I love you, Mummy. Please don't die today.' "I reassured him, but inside I was breaking. That fear - his and mine - was all too real." Today, thanks to a biological treatment, Jade's condition is under control and her symptoms are manageable. "The treatment gave me my life back. "The hospital visits have become rare, and I've finally been able to stop taking steroids." Her children are now teenagers and she's able to be the mum she always wanted to be at the beginning, she says. "I can go to my eldest son's band Intercite gigs, school events, quad bike adventures, or just sit on the couch and watch a movie without them having to worry that Mum might be going to hospital again." Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says Jade's story shows the reality of asthma that many New Zealanders are still unaware of. "Jade's experience is a reminder that asthma can affect people in very different ways, and for some, it's far more serious than many realise. That's why World Asthma Day is so important in raising awareness, Ms Harding says. "We need to lift the stigma, increase awareness, and ensure everyone understands just how serious this condition can be." This year, the Foundation is marking World Asthma Day by launching its first-ever Blue Shirt Day campaign. Blue Shirt Day calls on all Kiwis to wear blue, share stories like Jade's, and support better research, education, and access to life-saving treatments. In New Zealand, asthma affects 1 in 8 adults and children, kills an average of 96 people each year, and is responsible for the hospitalisations of thousands of children - many of whom will have had a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.
Scoop
01-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Vaping Causes Incurable Lung Disease, Groundbreaking Study Shows
Vaping has, for the first time, been linked to a life-limiting and irreversible lung disease. The groundbreaking study, published in the Nicotine and Tobacco Research Journal, shows that e-cigarette use is strongly associated with increased new diagnoses of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in New Zealand. Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says this study confirms what we've long suspected - vaping isn't just risky, it's dangerous to your health. "For years, we've been gaslighted into believing vaping is harmless - or at least 'less harmful' than cigarettes - meanwhile, we've watched teen vaping rates skyrocket. "Now the science is catching up, and it's not good news," she says. "Vaping is not harmless - it never has been - and this study shows it causes long-term irreversible lung damage." This study, which tracked 250,000 people over about three-and-a-half years, should be a significant wake-up call to the Government to tighten regulations even further, Ms Harding says. "Let's stop pretending we're balancing harm reduction with consumer freedom - vaping isn't harm reduction, it's harm transfer. "The vaping industry is using the same tactics Big Tobacco used decades ago - and it's resulting in a new generation of teens addicted to nicotine who we now know are at risk of developing a life-long respiratory illness." Dr Stuart Jones, a respiratory physician and member of the Foundation's Scientific Advisory Board, says that while there is now a clear link between vaping and COPD, the bigger issue is dual use (vaping and smoking). "For the first time, we've got hard data showing that vaping alone can cause COPD - and if you're vaping and smoking, you're not reducing risk, you're doubling down on it. "Dual use is not a stepping stone to quitting - it's a shortcut to the respiratory ward." E-cigarettes must be kept out of the hands of non-smokers, particularly young people, Dr Jones says. "Vapes are not harmless devices - they are engineered nicotine delivery systems that inflame lung tissue and can leave lasting damage. "If you smoke and vape, then the goal is to stop both. If you don't smoke, then don't vape. It's that simple."
