Political party positions on tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food policies
Health Coalition Aotearoa’s (HCA) four Expert Panels identified the top three policy priorities each for tobacco, alcohol, unhealthy food, and public health infrastructure. HCA surveyed incumbent political parties on their level of support for these twelve policies. A Political Forum on Prevention in Wellington on 25 August 2026 discussed these policies. The aim of this briefing is to present these findings.
Read or download the Health Coalition Aotearoa Prevention Brief [PDF].
It was extremely disappointing that National and NZ First did not respond to the survey despite multiple reminders and neither did they provide spokespeople for the Political Forum on Prevention. There were no policies on any health topics or on lobbying laws to strengthen the integrity of public policymaking on either party’s website.
There was support (mainly very supportive) for all HCA priorities from the Greens and Te Pāti Māori (TPM). Labour was very supportive of the three tobacco policies and strengthening the Healthy School Lunches programme. It was generally supportive of proposed revisions to the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act, and the three policies to improve public policymaking (lobbying laws, OIA reform, and conflicts of interest management). It opposed the sugary drinks levy and lifting alcohol taxes.
ACT was generally supportive of two tobacco policies and conflicts of interest management but was neutral or opposed to all other prevention policies.
The left-leaning parties (plus the Opportunity Party, which was not directly polled) support HCA’s high-impact policy proposals.
View the findings on New Zealand political party positions on health prevention policies (Public Health Communication Centre Aotearoa).
The public health problem
Tobacco, alcohol, obesity and unhealthy diets cause about a quarter of NZ’s health loss (>350,000 disability-adjusted life-years lost every year1). Many successful policies have been implemented internationally yet remain unimplemented in NZ.
All HCA policy priorities have majority public support. A recent series in the NZ Medical Journal found 77-85% support for eight tobacco/vaping policies, 54-84% for ten alcohol policies, 62-87% for ten food environment policies, and 74-89% for four lobbying policies. There was majority support from voters for all political parties on many of the policies.