'Commit to Quit' is the theme for 2021 and 'Whakamutu' being the te reo Māori encapsulation of the theme. Hāpai Te Hauora landed on this theme in alignment with that of the World Health Organizations' and launched a national campaign at the beginning of May. Communities and organisations have been able to access a wide range of resources, content and information on where whānau can go to quickly find a Stop Smoking Service near them.

Hāpai Te Hauora CEO Selah Hart says "’Commit to Quit’ is about committing to yourself, to your Hauora, to your whakapapa, to our whenua or to the ‘People and Things’ that can and will claim your birth right to fresh air!"

To mark World Smokefree Day Hāpai Te Hauora collaborated with Auckland Council on three major Smokefree events in Auckland. Hāpai Te Hauora commissioned Maree Webster for a script and she delivered a script filled with witty one-liners, awkward situations, and comedy that had earlier audiences bent over in laughter.

Hāpai Te Hauora CEO, Selah Hart says "since our organisations inception, we have always been whānau driven because we were formed from whānau, hapÅ« and iwi. It is of no surprise to me that 25 years later Hāpai Te Hauora continues to achieve outcomes that far outweigh it’s funding received.

Hart says, "We are proud to present "People and Things" for World Smokefree Day in partnership with Auckland Council. We believe it is a new and old way of engaging our communities that involves the things we love such as performing arts, dance, waiata, food and for some, social media. "

Kataraina Maki, General Manager - Community Social Policy of Auckland Council is pleased to have her team contributing in partnership with Hāpai Te Hauora and stop smoking services to support our communities towards becoming Smokefree. "I believe the World Smokefree Day kaupapa this year has taken community engagement to the next level and I look forward to what the future might look like".

Hāpai Te Hauora have heard the calls from communities in previous years who have asked for spaces to be established that can focus on collective healing, restoring and education.

Selah Hart says: "I have said this before that we collectively already hold the matauranga (the knowledge) and the will for change. Communities are ready to lead the charge on how we get to Smokefree 2025 and they have my full support. "

Today at 5.00pm is also is the last day to have your say on the Government’s Smokefree Action Plan Proposals to get to a Smokefree 2025. You can use an online tool on the Ministry of Health consultation platform. This is the preferred way to get feedback, or you can also email them, send an electronic submission to smokefree2025@health.govt.nz using the downloadable Microsoft Word template. If you have any issues with the template, please email the Ministry of Health on smokefree2025@health.govt.nz.