Quitting smoking Te whakamutu i te momi paipa

Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions you can make for your health. If you are ready to quit smoking there are many different options and products to help you quit and stay tobacco-free.

Risks of smoking

Around 5,000 people die each year in Aotearoa New Zealand because of smoking or second-hand smoke exposure. That is 13 people a day.

It is not too late to quit.


Free support to quit smoking

Find a face-to-face service

Use the map to find a local Stop Smoking Service to help you on your journey to quit. These services include:

  • free and flexible support for you and your whānau
  • free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). Some services offer a delivery service or access to get NRT from a pharmacy for free
  • support people who can help you quit and stay smokefree
  • information and support if you want to use vaping as a way to quit smoking.

There are also kaupapa Māori and Pacific Stop Smoking services available across the motu. If you cannot find what you are looking for, email Smokefree.

Find a Quit Coach

A Quit Coach is qualified to help you quit smoking and will work with you on a plan that suits your lifestyle.

Get a free quit coach — Smokefreeexternal link

Online, phone or text support

Quitline can help you create a personalised quit smoking plan. They also provide a way for you to get free nicotine patches, gum and lozenges from your local pharmacy.

Help to quit smoking Quitlineexternal link

They offer phone, text, online and face to face support to quit smoking.

 


Stop smoking medicines

Medicines like nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) can make it easier for you to stop smoking. The medicines work by easing your withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)

Patches, gum and lozenges are available for free at your local Stop Smoking Service. You can also get low-cost patches, gum and lozenges through Quitline, a doctor or a pharmacist.

Inhalators and mouth spray can be bought at supermarkets or pharmacies. You will have to pay the normal price but you do not need a prescription.

Most people use patches, which come in 3 different strengths.

You can try combining the patch with gum, lozenges or an inhalator. They are safe to use together. Your healthcare provider can help you find the right combination.

Prescription medicines

There are also medicines you can take to help you quit smoking such as:

  • nortriptyline
  • bupropion (also known as Zyban).

See your healthcare provider to discuss if this is the right option for you.

You will have to pay for the visit to the doctor and your prescription.

Videos: quit smoking with Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Te reo Māori: Te Whakamahi NRT i Te Wā e Hapū Ana


Information about smoking

Explore interactive tools about tobacco-related health effects, costs and history on the Smokefree website. Understanding smoking can help you want to quit.


Vaping

Vaping is a tool to quit smoking. It is not a lifestyle product for people who have never smoked. The end goal is to be smokefree and ideally, vapefree as well.

Once you have quit smoking, and feel confident you will not go back to smoking, you should aim to stop vaping.

Vaping


Heated tobacco devices

Tobacco companies have made products that heat tobacco instead of burning it. This is different from vaping, which heats a liquid that may contain nicotine.

Because the tobacco is heated, not burned, these products likely produce fewer and different harmful chemicals than cigarettes. They are often sold as being less harmful than smoking, but there is still limited research on their health effects.