Peters Winston: Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill — Procedure Referral to Health Committee Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
Peters Winston: Smoke-free Environments Amendment Bill — Procedure Referral to Health Committee Instruction to CommitteeCWH In Committee 
[Volume:610;Page:7938] 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS (Leader—NZ First) 
: 
 Rather than giving us a clear steer we have been given a bum steer on this matter. I do not believe that 50 babies die a year at the Returned Services Association the league club the rugby club or anywhere else. The reality is that this bill should be called the “Attitude Cop Bill” or the “Gestapo Bill” or the “I can’t keep my nose out of other people’s business (even though I can’t handle my own) Bill” or the “I know what is good for you even though I don’t know what is good for myself Bill”. 
Let us look at the facts. We are told by these proponents that one person a day dies from vicarious smoking. Is it not amazing that the most recent health study in this country demonstrated that two out of every five deaths in 1997 occurred not through cigarette smoking associated or otherwise but through over-eating? In 1997 two out of every five deaths occurred in respect of unhealthy diet. Two out of five—or 11000 people—died prematurely through unhealthy eating. I ask some of those members who are so quick to rush to tell everybody how they should behave how their diet and health is. Are they doing any exercise? Before they rush out to say that they want to save the world—how about themselves? Let us look at the facts. I have some information that is worldwide and respected. First of all on the issue of who smokes the most nation by nation— 
Darren Hughes 
: You! 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: Junior over there should try to keep up with the play. If he wants to become an important member of Parliament he should learn to close his nose and mouth at the same time open his ears and learn. Who are the most frequent smokers of cigarettes? They are the Bulgarians the Greeks and the Japanese. It is astonishing really that Japan is a very heavily industrialised country and its people are the heaviest smokers in the world. What is fascinating about this study is that on the obesity index the Japanese rank lowest in the world. How phenomenal it is that on the longevity index the average lifespan Japanese males and females win hands down. If smoking is so bad for people—actual smoking as opposed to vicarious or associated smoking—how come the Japanese figures do not back up one thing the Government is saying? Those members can destroy scientific evidence practice voodoo politics and come along here with a trumped up case that will not carry any water but I tell them straight that if they want to save New Zealanders then a good diet and exercise is more important than anything else. That is not my belief but the belief of the Ministry of Health and anyone who knows. So where is the Government’s “Good Health and Exercise Bill”? No those members could not do that because like the people at the whale conference in Auckland this morning half of them look like whales. It is unbelievable! People rush to tell us how to live our lives yet they themselves have no chance of living a long life because they are grossly overweight have a bad diet and do not do any exercise. But there are all the figures. With regard to obesity Japan has the lowest rate in the world followed by Korea. In respect of smoking Japan has the worst rate in the world closely followed by countries like Korea. 
Government Member 
: What about Bulgaria? 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: The Bulgarians are living so long that once upon time they put it down to Pinot Noir. 
Hon Members 
: Ha ha! 
Rt Hon WINSTON PETERS 
: There are people in the gallery who know what I am talking about. People went amongst all those people and they thought that the only common factor in their longevity the only common thing in their diet was Pinot Noir. Then they realised it was the overall diet. The Pinot Noir people made a fortune for a short while until greater scientific evidence came in. 
Now here is the point: on health expenditure per gross domestic product is Japan the highest spender? No it is not but its people are living longer. The figures are all there. Japan is about the middle. I ask those people over there who are so hasty to tell us how to live what they are doing about people’s real health needs.