During last year’s election, all three Coalition parties campaigned on delivering better health outcomes for New Zealanders. Since forming a year ago, the Coalition has laid out a clear plan with targets to drive better outcomes within our healthcare system. The targets we are collectively focused on are faster cancer treatment, increased childhood immunisation, reduced emergency department waiting times and shorter wait times for assessments and treatments.

As a government, we are investing $30 billion a year in health, the highest in New Zealand’s history. However, more money alone isn’t the solution to our healthcare challenges. We are also committed to practical changes that drive better health outcomes, such as our policy announced last month to crack down on youth vaping.

The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Amendment Bill (No 2) will help combat youth vaping in our community, while allowing vapes to be used as an effective smoking cessation tool by many.

Once passed, this Bill will:

• Ban disposable vapes that appeal to young people.
• Impose greater fines for anyone selling vapes to persons under 18.
• Impose visibility restrictions on vaping products in retail spaces, keeping them out of sight of youth.
• Include proximity limits on vape sales near early childhood centres.

Youth vaping is sadly on the rise, with latest estimates suggesting 15 per cent of all 15–17-year-olds vaping daily. The last government was slow to regulate and enforce the rules around vaping. Our government will not make that same mistake. Along with the changes announced above, we will also be employing 16 new dedicated smokefree enforcement officers by December to ensure compliance and effectiveness with the new law.

Every dollar invested in health is important, but true change in New Zealand’s healthcare system will be evident through enhanced care and better health outcomes. Setting targets, effective management, and practical policies all contribute to these improvements.

If there’s anything my office can help you with, do get in touch. See you in our community sometime soon!