media release

In a White Paper released today, the Salvation Army Oasis, Hāpai Te Hauora Tapui and the Problem Gambling Foundation, provide a solution to end the community sector’s dependence on funding from pokie machines.

With pokie grants all but dried up due to the COVID-19 lockdown and consequent closure of pokie venues, the authors are calling on the government to initially roll over existing funding directly to community groups for six months with a view to long-term reform of the system.

A $25 million relief package has been created by Sport NZ to provide much needed relief for sports and recreation. The package is targeted primarily towards community and regional recreation and sporting bodies who are struggling to stay afloat in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Selah Hart, CEO of Hāpai Te Hauora says "The timing of this year’s budget announcement during the Covid-19 pandemic should ensure public health issues are front and centre."

On the 1st of May the Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill was released by Justice Minister Andrew Little. This is the final version of the proposed legislation which will be put to voters at the 2020 general election in the form of a referendum.

A collective of Māori organisations have launched a new digital platform to support whānau in Tāmaki Makaurau whānau during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hāpai Te Hauora welcomes new research from Otago University which shows plain packaging has taken the appeal out of cigarette packets. The researchers says the study shows that making cigarette packaging standard in New Zealand in 2018 has hit the policy target, which was to make tobacco products less appealing and to make health warnings on cigarette packs more obvious.

Health Coalition Aotearoa believes the government made a mistake allowing online sales of spirits during the lockdown and recommends the decision be reversed.

Māori Public Health organisation Hāpai Te Hauora welcomes the move but says if Coca-Cola was serious about tackling the harm caused by its products, it would focus on the communities most affected by obesity and dental caries

A major study of youth smoking between 2014 and 2019 by ASH New Zealand and the University of Auckland shows that while some young people are experimenting with vaping, daily use of an e-cigarette is occurring overwhelmingly in existing smokers.

With news of the latest tobacco tax increase, dairy owners are calling for extra help to protect them from robberies.

Hāpai Te Hauora is calling for an end to tobacco sales as a way to reduce the risk to dairies, and more importantly to decrease the huge death toll associated with tobacco-related illnesses.