Media release from Smokefree Nurses Aotearoa New Zealand

Just as New Zealand was among world leaders with its smokefree legislation, it's now being encouraged to be the first country with an entire nursing workforce dedicated to stubbing out cigarettes.

The proposal was put to the Maori Affairs Select Committee today by Smokefree Nurses Aotearoa/New Zealand (SNANZ). The Committee is inquiring into the tobacco industry and consequences of tobacco use for Maori.

SNANZ Director, Grace Wong, told the committee it would make sound economic sense for New Zealand's over 40,000-strong nursing workforce to be used to help people give up smoking.

"We believe the strength of the nursing workforce lies in our almost untapped potential to support cessation for the 600,000 New Zealanders who smoke."

She says nurses are best placed to do this because they are already working in many environments where they meet people who smoke.

"The nursing workforce is the largest health workforce in New Zealand. There is approximately one actively working nurse for every 14 smokers; nurses work with sick and healthy people; nurses work in homes, schools, prisons, workplaces, marae, community clinics, GP surgeries and hospitals and are trusted by the public."

In an initiative believed to be a world-first, New Zealand already offers nurses training through the Ministry of Health to enable them to deliver brief smoking cessation treatment and help any patients access a free course of nicotine replacement therapy.
Wong says they want to extend this so all nursing schools include the Ministry of Health's ABC smoking cessation programme in their training and nurses get more support and resources to become effective frontline catalysts for change.

"We know nurses are very keen to do this work but they lack the time and support in the workplace. We're also keen to up-skill them, not only to deliver 30-second cessation advice, but to support smokers on their quitting journey and re-motivate smokers who relapse."

SNANZ believes Maori nurses are particularly well placed to be smokefree role models and leaders within their own communities, where smoking is a particular problem, but Wong says many of them smoke themselves. There are around 3000 Maori nurses and it is estimated that 31 percent smoke.

"This not only impacts on the lives and aspirations of individuals, it's a major barrier to enlisting the largest Maori health workforce to capitalise on their many opportunities to help patients and whanau to stop smoking. Unsurprisingly those who smoke find it hard to advise patients who smoke to quit."

As a priority SNANZ told the committee it wants targeted national programmes to help health professionals who smoke, to quit. It also wants nurses to be given more time and workplace support to deliver smoking cessation programmes.

"We believe the flow on effect of fully involving nurses in cessation on the number of people who smoke will be significant."