66272 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health

66272 (2024). Hon Dr Ayesha Verrall to the Associate Minister of Health: What obligations, if any, does the Ministry of Health have under the WHO framework convention on tobacco control, and how does the Ministry give effect to it?

Hon Casey Costello: The Ministry of Health (the Ministry) has a stewardship role and is the Government’s principal policy advisor on tobacco control. Specific Ministry obligations include policy advice consistent with New Zealand’s obligations to implement the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC); monitoring and reporting progress in reducing tobacco use and supply through the New Zealand Health Survey and annual tobacco returns; active participation in international fora, such as the Conference of the Parties and the Global Tobacco Regulators’ Forum (including New Zealand's role as the FCTC Western Pacific Regional Coordinator); and under Article 5.3, protecting policy development from the influence of the tobacco industry and supporting other government agencies and funded entities to do so.