Stuff writes:
“Takiri Mai te Ata Trust regional manager Catherine Manning said the Wellington-based trust received an email this week stating it had to either start supplying the vape kits or have its contract terminated, despite signing a new contract earlier that year.”
They are funded to stop people smoking.
“Health NZ gives the trust just under $3 million across a two year period. It must complete targets to renew its contract – such as having 60% of its referrals enrolled, and recieved [sic] 1500 referrals last year.”
So, Takiri Mai te Ata Trust had to enrol at least 1,500 smokers over two years at a minimum average cost of $2,000 each. What Stuff does not ask, or tell readers, is what the Trust’s quit rate was. They were given $3 million of taxpayer funding and that is a lot of money.
It transpires that Casey Costello’s $575,000 vape kit trial, which got a lot of stick from the usual suspects at Otago Public Health, has contributed 36% of all confirmed quitters in just the first eight months of 2025. That is amazing data so why does Stuff bury it:
“Of the 5261 people who quit smoking between January and August this year, 1889 people – 36% of people who quit smoking – used a Health New Zealand vape kit.”
At $319 per confirmed quitter, this seems great value compared to a minimum $2,000 for an enrolled smoker at the Takiri Mai te Ata Trust, where we have no clue as to how many quit after millions of taxpayers dollars.
Despite 25-years of taxpayer support for the Takiri Mai te Ata Trust, potentially adding up to tens of millions, the words of Trust regional manager Catherine Manning suggest it had forgotten the point of taxpayer funding, is smoking cessation:
“Vaping did not morally or ethically align with Māori tikanga, and she said the trust had a desire to protect both the breath and the whakapapa.”
That’s nice. But if they won’t use the methods that are most effective in getting Maori to stop smoking, then they shouldn’t expect taxpayer money for being ineffective.
Full marks to Casey Costello for backing what works and axing what doesn’t.
David Farrar runs Curia Market Research, a specialist opinion polling and research agency, and the popular Kiwiblog where this article was sourced. He previously worked in the Parliament for eight years, serving two National Party Prime Ministers and three Opposition Leaders
4 comments:
So just another Maori Trust with its snout in the trough and what appears to be zero accountability to them what funds it - that's U and ME! Come on Willis, Luxon et al, put the plug in and stop the draining of our hard earned - you want growth - stop the shrinkage.
With the utter multitude of similarly named trusts and organisations dedicated to “helping” Maori it raises a couple of obvious questions.
If all the taxpayer spend is added up , how many $ go to Maori overal? And what is that per Maori identifying person?
The second question is, with all this aid at what seems every step of life how effective is it? Is it making any difference, at all?
If we had real journalists I am sure others would be interested in the answers to these questions too.
Why are we constantly trying to help people who over multiple generations have self inflicted their own degeneration ?
I'm happy to help out once or twice, but when it keeps happening, well tough, it's your life, stop expecting me to go to work everyday to bail you out again.
Terminate the trust immediately.
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