Smoking kills 5,000 New Zealanders every year
Around one-third of New Zealanders believe that the dangers of smoking have been exaggerated, yet tobacco is the single biggest cause of preventable death in New Zealand with around 5,000 New Zealanders dying each year as a result of smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke.
Between 4,300 and 4,700 New Zealanders die each year from a smoking-related illness. When the deaths caused by exposure to second-hand smoke are included this estimate increases to around 5,000 deaths per year.
