INL Feb 15 2019 Digital Edition

12
FEBRUARY15, 2019
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The English Fortnightly (Since November 1999)
ISSUE 409 | FEBRUARY 15, 2019
Another wakeup call
for National Party
The latest Newshub
Reid Research Poll has
brought depressing
new for the National
Party.
It took a massive hit recording
just 41.6%, its lowest in 12
years; whereas its rival, the
Labour Party, rose sharply
with its rating placed at 47.5%.
Nothing could be worse
than National Leader Simon
Bridges’ preferred Prime
Minister status dropping to a
woeful 5%, almost 2% less than
his colleague Judith Collins.
Notwithstanding the fact
that the Poll has a error of
3.5% plus or minus, political
pundits are of the view that
it may be time for National to
burn its Bridges.
Painful Opposition
That is the bane of being in
the Opposition, especially for
National, which is ironically
still the single largest Party in
Parliament. But the nature of
MMP is such that even one seat
matters and National does not
have the numbers to reoccupy
the Treasury benches.
In his book, ‘How to Be in
Opposition: Life in the Political
Shadows,’ author Nigel
Fletcher said that the most successful
leaders are those who
Polytechnics merger
appears inevitable
Education Minister
Chris Hipkins did
not surprise many
when he announced
(on February 13) that the
government proposes to
merge all 16 polytechnics
in New Zealand into a
single entity which may be
rebranded as a National
Institute for Training.
The fact that all is not well
with many of our polytechnics
has been public knowledge
for some time now. A paper
submitted to the Cabinet
last year said that 80% of
polytechnics will face financial
crisis within the next four
years if they faced the current
challenges.
Heading towards trouble
The Report was on the
heels of a $33 million bailout
of the bankrupt ‘Tai Poutini
Polytechnic.’
Mr Hipkins admitted that his
Ministry Merger Plan would
be challenging but insisted
that it was necessary since
have adopted a systematic formula
for repositioning their
party to reconnect with the
electorate.
It is often said that everyone
has hindsight and that even
the uninitiated becomes an expert
in a post-mortem analysis.
But opposition can be a miserable
job in politics: under-resourced,
demoralised and
ignored, shadow ministers
nevertheless have to fulfil the
important job of keeping government
honest, all the time
preparing to take power themselves
one day. It is an often
thankless task, with very little
support and no handbook to
tell you how to do it. Until now.
Owning Responsibility
The worst and most unfortunate
casualty was Bill English,
whose surprise decision to step
down from the leadership of
the Party sent ripples of anxiety
among its rank and file. But
from his point of view, it was
a decision taken at the right
time, owning responsibility for
his Party’s debacle at the 2017
polls.
Such self-examination is imperative
if National has to resurrect
itself and be a strong
Opposition and hope to regain
power.
the Sector has been suffering
declining enrolments and
multimillion dollar deficits.
According to the Education
Ministry, its domestic
equivalent fulltime students
dropped by a quarter, from
2245 in 2010 to 1715 in 2016
at the extreme end of a
nationwide 11% decline in
polytechnic numbers in the
same period as the buoyant
economy sucked people out of
training and back into work.
The Cabinet Paper said that
the government was now
funding only 750 equivalent
fulltime students at the
polytechnic, 350 on the West
Coast and 400 elsewhere.
The amalgamation of
polytechnics may result in
more or fewer main campuses
in the regions and some of
the institutes may need more
financial support before the
changes were implemented.
But the Treasury is worried
that it was not clear how much
the proposals would cost.
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‘Healthier alternatives’ to cigarette
smoking gain attention
Philip Morris rolls out IQOS in New Zealand
Venkat Raman
New Zealand is fast becoming
a ‘Smoke-free country,’
and with increasing
restrictions on lighting up
in public places (shortly in private
vehicles as well), the only place
left may be your own home. From
offices, restaurants, hotel lobbies
and guest rooms to parks, pubs
and restrooms, there are more
limitations than freedom to smoke.
In pursuing its rigorous
campaigns to discourage people
from smoking, the New Zealand
government increases the tax
on tobacco products by 10% on
January 1 every year, collecting $2
billion in additional revenue. All
promotions have been banned and
retailers are not allowed even to
display tobacco products. Besides,
every packet of cigarettes carries
unpleasant pictures depicting the
harmful effects of smoking on the
human body.
Landmark Report on Smoking
In 1964, a landmark Report of the
Advisory Committee to the Surgeon
General of Public Health Service
in the USA warned that Cigarette
Smoking is injurious to health. The
war that began then has continued,
with public health authorities
and governments emerging as
clear winners. There are of course
groups of smokers that keep protesting
that their rights are being
taken away, but no one seems to be
listening.
But Philips Morris International
(PMI) has been listening. The multinational
giant, which made ‘Marlboro
Country’ and Rolling Stones’
‘Satisfaction’ famous, is actively
promoting ‘Smoke-Free Future’ and
supporting programmes to help
people quit the smoking habit.
Philip Morris and Future
PMI New Zealand General
Manager James Williams said that
New Zealand has campaigned hard
against smoking and has achieved
substantial success.
There are about 605,000 active
smokers in New Zealand, about
35% of who are of Maori and Pacific
Island origin. People of Indian
origin are also in the smokers’ mix,
although there are no known figures.
The number of adult smokers
has declined steadily, from about
20% in 2007 to about 16% last year.
Mr Williams said that his
company has been researching for
more than two decades to develop
products that give smokers the
satisfactions they are seeking,
but without the harmful effects
of smoking, The company has
developed a range of reduced harm
smokeless tobacco and vaping
products that emit 90-95% less
harmful and potentially harmful
constituents than continuing to
smoke. While not risk-free, because
James Williams (Picture Supplied)
The new IQOS releases a flavoured, nic tine-containing tobacco vapour
they contain nicotine which is
addictive, the new generation of
smokeless tobacco and vaping
products are considered a much
better alternative than continuing
to smoke. Mr Williams cautions
that these products, while recommended
for smokers who cannot
or do not want to quit, are not
recommended for non-smokers or
young people.
The IQOS Alternative
“IQOS is our innovative brand
that has found the acceptance of
about six million customers in
about 45 countries. It is less harmful
than conventional, combustible
cigarettes because it heats tobacco
and does not burn it. There is no
evidence of second hand smoke, so
it is safe to use anywhere vaping
is permitted. However, we do
not recommend it be used in the
presence of children and pregnant
women,” he said.
At the heart of IQOS are sophisticated
electronics that heat specially
designed heated tobacco units. The
devise, which looks like a shaver,
heats the tobacco just enough to
release a flavoured, nicotine-containing
tobacco vapour but without
burning the tobacco.
Harmful Chemicals reduced
Mr Williams said the tobacco in a
cigarette burns at temperatures in
excess of 600° C, generating smoke
that contains harmful constituents.
“But IQOS heats tobacco to
much lower temperatures, up to
a maximum of 350° C, without
combustion, fire, ash, or smoke.
The lower temperature heating
releases the true taste of heated
tobacco. Because the tobacco
is heated and not burned, the
levels of harmful chemicals are
significantly reduced compared to
cigarette smoke,” he said.
The Company’s website advises
smokers thus: “IQOS can’t burn
you, others around you, pets,
clothes, furniture or anything.
Since no tobacco is burned and,
thus, no fire is involved, there’s
no lit end to do any damage or
falling ash that makes a mess. IQOS
produces an aerosol that dissipates
more quickly.”
The product was recently
launched in New Zealand but the
outcome is becoming apparent.
Mr Williams said that there are
thousands of customers and its
success can be measured by the
fact that more than 60% of them
have permanently quit smoking
conventional cigarettes.
Burglars’ target
“We are committed to a healthy,
smoke-free New Zealand,” he said.
Superettes, Convenience Stores,
Petrol Pump Stores and similar
retail outlets in New Zealand are
largely operated by people of
Indian origin. Almost all of them
invariably retail cigarettes, which
are the target of burglars and
offenders in general. With cigarette
prices skyrocketing, these shops
have been experiencing increasing
thefts and threats.
Mr Williams said that the Indian
community is very important to his
Company, both as customers and as
businesspersons who sell cigarettes
and the new reduced-risk products
that are replacing cigarettes.
“As the government progresses
with new legislation for vaping
industry this year, the Indian
business community will be
particularly affected by potential
changes to their businesses,” he
said.
Vaping has potential
University of Michigan Professor
Emeritus of Public Health Kenneth
E Warner, in his well-researched
article, ‘Smoking has reduced but
not vanished’ (published in our
web edition on February 3, 2019),
said that Vaping may hold the potential
to help significant numbers
of Americans to quit smoking.
“The risks of vaping are clearly
substantially less than those of
smoking. At the same time, however,
there are concerns about the
attraction of e-cigarettes to young
people and uncertainty about the
health effects of long-term vaping,”
he said.
While the ultimate impacts
of e-cigarettes and other novel
non-combusted tobacco products
remain to be seen, there is
widespread agreement that it is the
burning of tobacco, primarily in
the form of cigarette smoking, with
its 7000 chemicals, that is by far
the deadliest method of consuming
tobacco.