Beat the addiction and become smokefree
Quitting is the very best thing that people who smoke can do for their health, and for the health of their families (especially their children), whānau and friends.
Te Mana Ora | Community and Public Health provides smoking cessation support to the people in Waitaha | Canterbury and Te Tai o Poutini | the West Coast. We also help community organisations, primary and secondary care providers to set up systems to refer clients to these smokefree services.
How to quit and become smokefree
Supportive friends and whānau play an important part in successfully quitting smoking. There are also specialised services available to help people who want to quit smoking. Experienced quit coaches can provide support, vaping advice and free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) – patches, gum and other medications. Using behavioural support along with products such as NRT and vapes significantly increases your chances of long-term success.
Contact your local Smokefree Service to discuss options available to support you to quit. They can provide face to face, phone or text support for both individuals and groups, and will discuss a programme based on your specific needs. You can also call Quitline, or talk to your GP or local pharmacist for quit support.
Documents
- The New Zealand Guidelines for Helping People to Stop Smoking – for health care workers (Ministry of Health 2021).
- Creating a Workplace Smokefree Policy Toolkit (Community and Public Health).
- E-cigarette use and perceptions among current and ex-smokers in New Zealand (Health Promotion Agency 2019).
- Smoking cessation behaviours in the past 12 months: quit attempts and use of support (Health Promotion Agency 2016).
Downloads
Download or order resources from the Community Health Information Centre.
Links
- Te Hā – Waitaha Smokefree Support.
- Oranga Hā – Tai Poutini/ Stop Smoking West Coast.
- Quitline NZ.
- QuitStrong (Te Whatu Ora).
- Smokefree (National Public Health Service).
For further information, contact:
Te Hā – Waitaha Smokefree Support (Canterbury)
0800 425 700
Smokefree South Canterbury (Arowhenua Whānau Services)
027 407 6012
Oranga Hā – Tai Poutini | Stop Smoking West Coast
0800 456 121
QuitLine
0800 778 778
QuitStrong: Learn how to set yourself up to quit and stay quit
Most people who smoke want to give up, but they need help and support to have the best chance at becoming smokefree.
The QuitStrong campaign celebrates that many people do quit, and the support of others can help.
The campaign also seeks to tackle the reality that many quit attempts are not successful. QuitStrong promotes better ways to quit by linking people to support and tools that can increase their chances of giving up the smokes for good.
The campaign is a partnership between the Ministry of Health, Te Whatu Ora and Quitline.
Get the facts on vaping
Vaping is the use of an electronic device to heat a solution (e-liquid) containing nicotine into a vapour that is inhaled.
Vaping is less harmful than smoking cigarettes, but it is not entirely risk-free. Only vape to quit smoking, as you will only see benefits if you stop smoking cigarettes and switch completely to vaping. Vapers will ideally wean themselves off vaping and become both smoke and vape free.
Stop smoking services can support people who wish to vape to quit smoking.
People who do not smoke should not take up vaping as they will become addicted to the nicotine in the product.
Quit smoking for your pets
Our pets aren’t just animals; they’re whānau. Smoking around them may not seem like a big deal, but it has a bigger impact on their health than you might think.
When you smoke around your pets, they’re twice as likely to get cancer. Your best mate will follow you anywhere. Lead them well.
Watch short videos about the effects of smoking on the health on your pets, including information from vet Dr Anu Murphy (Quitline NZ YouTube).