Health experts are challenging political parties to prioritise public health over industry profits at this year's election, calling for stronger laws targeting tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food to reduce preventable illness and ease pressure on the healthcare system.

Health Coalition Aotearoa released its Prevention Brief 2026 on Monday, describing it as a blueprint for reducing preventable illness and improving health equity.

The coalition said tobacco, alcohol and unhealthy food accounted for one-quarter - or 350,000 - of healthy years of life lost in Aotearoa each year, while disproportionately affecting Māori, Pacific people, lower-income communities and children.

Health Coalition Aotearoa co-chair Professor Boyd Swinburn said prevention had taken a back seat in recent years.

"Thousands of lives can be saved and the stress on our overstretched healthcare system greatly reduced, if the next government gets serious about prevention: our Prevention Brief offers a blueprint."

He said prevention policies had been "reversed or shelved" in favour of industry-friendly approaches.

"We need action to reduce the pile-up of preventable cases in the emergency rooms and doctors' clinics around the country."

The coalition is calling for a return to stronger smokefree measures, including licensing retailers that sell tobacco and vaping products, reducing nicotine levels and expanding smoking cessation services.

It is also proposing major reforms to alcohol laws, including tighter restrictions on alcohol marketing and availability, embedding Te Tiriti o Waitangi into the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act, raising the alcohol purchase age to 20, and increasing alcohol excise tax by 50 percent.

For food policy, the coalition wants permanent funding for the Ka Ora, Ka Ako healthy school lunches programme, legislation restricting children's exposure to unhealthy food marketing and the introduction of a sugary drinks levy similar to the United Kingdom model.

The briefing also argues stronger lobbying laws and conflict-of-interest rules are needed to reduce what it describes as the "modern corruption" of commercial influence over public policy.

The coalition said recent decisions, including the repeal of New Zealand's smokefree legislation, highlighted the influence of powerful industries on government policy.

Following the repeal, Aotearoa went from second place in the Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index to 53rd place.

Māori life expectancy remains about six years lower than that of non-Māori, with about one-third of that difference attributed to smoking rates. Māori are about twice as likely to smoke as non-Māori.

Health Coalition Aotearoa interim co-chair Jason Alexander said prevention was essential to improving both health outcomes and the sustainability of the health system.

"Prevention is the most cost-effective and arguably the only way to tackle a crisis that will only deepen with an ageing population.

"It's not just about saving lives. It's about giving people more years of good health, more time at home with their loved ones, and more freedom to live life on their own terms."

The coalition is calling on political parties to adopt the recommendations ahead of the election, saying stronger prevention policies would reduce preventable disease, improve health equity and ease pressure on the country's overstretched health system.

In a statement to RNZ, Associate Minister of Health Casey Costello - who is responsible for smoking and vaping - said she "had not yet had a chance" to look at the brief.

"But I can say that the government remains committed to reducing smoking rates, and work is progressing to strengthen compliance and enforcement capabilities, as well as address the illicit market," she said.

"We will not however pursue a prohibitionist approach or return to the previous government's flawed policies in this space. Our focus is on strengthening regulation and compliance powers against those undermining our smokefree goals, and supporting the reduced-harm pathways that have helped so many smokers quit."

She said the reduced harm approach has been the policy across successive Governments since 2018.

In another statement to RNZ, Associate Health Minister and Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey said they are not looking at introducing a sugar tax, "nor is that something this government is interested in".

"In 2023, The Ministry of Health commissioned NZIER to report on very recent evidence in countries with similar tax systems on the impact of sugar tax. NZIER concluded in their 2023 report there was no clear evidence that sugar taxes overseas had met the objectives of reducing overall consumption of sugar or improving health outcomes."

Doocey said they were also not looking at raising the purchasing of alcohol age to 20.

"We are more focused on preventing and reducing addiction related harm and ensuring faster access to support. This Government takes alcohol harm seriously as evidenced by the first alcohol levy increase in 15 years."

Doocey said they had set a focus on investing more in prevention and early intervention as well as increased funding for Screening and Brief Intervention Practitioners in seven hospital settings.

"These roles are critical to ensuring that those who use alcohol, or other drugs are identified early within the health system and are therefore able to get the support they need."