Overview:
Following the release of the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index 2025, this lunchtime webinar—hosted by the Cancer Society and ASPIRE Aotearoa—unpacks the findings of the New Zealand Country Report, examines why New Zealand’s ranking has slipped dramatically and explores what can be done to confront tobacco industry interference. Hear from leading voices in tobacco control as we discuss lessons from the Index, global best practice, and collective strategies to ensure public health policy is protected from industry manipulation.
Presenters:
- Emma Shields (Cancer Society) NZ Tobacco Industry Interference Index report author
- Calvin Cochran (ASPIRE) NZ Tobacco Industry Interference Index report peer reviewer
Panellists:
- Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga, President of the College of Public Health Medicine
- Professor Janet Hoek, Co-Director of ASPIRE Aotearoa
- Associate Professor Andrew Waa, Te Rōpū Tupeka Kore, Co-Director of ASPIRE Aotearoa
Registration: To join the webinar, please register in advance and a personal log-in link will be sent to you.
About the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index
Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (Global Tobacco Index) is a global survey on how governments are responding to tobacco industry interference and protecting their public health policies from commercial and vested interests as required under the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC). It was established in 2019 with funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies and others and is coordinated by Global Center for Good Governance in Tobacco Control (GGTC). The New Zealand country report, which feeds into the Global Index, is prepared by the Cancer Society every two years.
More about our presenters and panellists
Emma Shields is the Evidence & Insights Lead (Pou Tangata) at the Cancer Society of New Zealand, where she leads the translation of research and data into actionable policy and advocacy to advance cancer prevention across Aotearoa. She was the lead author on the 2023 and 2025 New Zealand Tobacco Industry Interference Index Country Report.
Calvin Cochran is a Research Fellow at the ASPIRE Aotearoa Research Centre (Department of Public Health, University of Otago, Wellington) with a research interest in tobacco control policy and tobacco industry interference. He was a peer reviewer for the 2025 New Zealand Tobacco Industry Interference Index Country Report.
Professor Sir Collin Tukuitonga is President of the New Zealand College of Public Health Medicine (NZCPHM) and a distinguished public-health physician and academic. His long-standing leadership includes robust advocacy to advance tobacco control policy in Aotearoa. He has consistently emphasised the urgency of legislative and regulatory action to achieve the Smokefree 2025 goal and the importance of effective tobacco control for the health of Māori and Pasifika communities.
Professor Janet Hoek (University of Otago), co-Director of ASPIRE Aotearoa, is an eminent researcher and academic whose work critically analyses how the tobacco industry manipulates scientific evidence, public discourse and policy-making to undermine regulation. Her recent publications explore industry strategies and how governments might better respond to meet their obligations under the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.
Associate Professor Andrew Waa (University of Otago), co-Director of ASPIRE Aotearoa, is a highly regarded researcher and academic whose work spans tobacco control and Hauora Māori, focusing on indigenous-led strategies to reduce smoking-related harm among whānau Māori. With nearly 30 years' experience in the sector, he is a long-standing and influential tobacco control leader and a key figure in the Tupeka Kore movement.