By Melissa Davies
A select committee on Maori smoking has heard the story of a woman who has had 15 siblings die from smoking-related diseases.
The Whiu family says the deaths prompted them to travel the country educating students about the risks.
But others told the committee that control of smoking should happen at iwi level, by making the tobacco industry get permission before it can sell cigarettes in some areas.
The Whiu family still perform in schools, teaching the stories of Maui – that he slowed the sun down, that he fished up Aotearoa, but most importantly – that he didn't smoke.
Today they drove three hours from Kawhia to the select committee in Auckland – not for a show – but to tell the true story of Hinga Whiu's mother.
“My mother is the only one left, she's the only one left out of sixteen,” Mrs Whiu says. “Her siblings have died from smoking, tobacco-related illnesses.”
The Whius say their road show is about getting students to pass on a message to parents who smoke.
“They go home and they actually put pressure on the parents because they don't want to be all around the smoke,” Mrs Whiu says.
A submission about government taxes on cigarettes drew heated debate, Daniel McCaffrey says it doesn't curb demand, just robs the poor.
“I wonder if you can look your people in the East Coast in the face, knowing that it's the highest incidence of smoking in New Zealand, and you're taking money out of their pockets every week,” Mr McCaffrey said to Mrs Whiu.
An idea that was well-received was that the tobacco industry should have to ask permission from iwi to sell in their area.
“You'd have to have some kind of court where, if they didn't get approval from iwi, then what is the next step for them?” Tahuna Minhinnick of Mana Whenua Tamaki Makaurau says.
“I wouldn't go to councils but it would be good to have a legal organisation in which we would be able to hammer those organisations.”
Anti-tobacco groups and the DHBs will continue giving their submissions tomorrow but first – the moment everyone here is really waiting for. British American Tobacco has 10 minutes to address the select committee at 10am tomorrow.
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