About EASE
EASE is Aotearoa's International Tobacco Control ( ITC ) project, a health study which aims to support Aotearoa New Zealand's Smokefree 2025 goal. It generates evidence to inform policy and actions to help people become and stay smokefree.
The study surveys around 1,600 adult New Zealanders who smoke or who have recently stopped smoking and follows them over time. Our aim is to understand how tobacco-related policies and initiatives affect people who smoke and influence their behaviour. We also want to get participants' views about possible future policies.
Māori and Pacific peoples are over‑represented among people who smoke, so the EASE study has a particular focus on these groups, asking their views and finding out what works for them. Young adults are also a priority group since habits set during this life stage affect the whole life course. We want to make sure there are no groups left behind on Aotearoa's journey to become a smokefree nation.
The project team includes Māori and Pacific researchers who are leading the ethnic-specific aspects of the research.
The EASE study is part of the ITC (International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation) project. The current study is a continuation of previous ITC New Zealand projects:
- The 2016–2020 New Zealand ITC project
- The Māori-specific TAKe project (2016–2020)
- The 2006–2010 New Zealand ITC project
It is also part of the Te Tupu o te Harakeke Research Programme which is led by the ASPIRE Aotearoa Research Centre, based at the University of Otago and funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand.
About the ITC (International Tobacco Control) Policy Evaluation project
The International Tobacco Control Policy Evaluation Project (the ITC Project) is an international study of tobacco use that follows smokers and recent quitters over time. Its overall objective is to measure the impact of tobacco control policies (e.g. plain packs, smokefree legislation, mass media campaigns) and identify the determinants of effective tobacco control policies.
The ITC Project is a collaborative effort with international health organisations and policymakers in over 30 countries, inhabited by >50% of the world's population, >60% of the world's smokers, and >70% of the world's tobacco users. New Zealand has been part of this international team since 2006.
Is the study associated with tobacco or vaping companies?
No. The study is not associated with any commercial interests and receives no funding from the tobacco or vaping industries or associated organisations.
Our people
New Zealand EASE team
- Anaru Waa Co-Principal Investigator, Māori lead researcher
- Richard Edwards Co-Principal Investigator
- Janine Nip Senior researcher
- Dan Tautolo Pacific lead researcher
- Jude Ball Young adult lead researcher
- James Stanley Statistician
- Jane Zhang Analyst
- Jacqui Hadingham Administrator
The EASE team works closely with market research company Research New Zealand who support the data collection.
Research New Zealand
We also partner with the ITC international team based at the University of Waterloo, Canada. This is the ITC's 'head office' which provides support and guidance to the teams in participating countries. The key contacts for the New Zealand EASE project are detailed below.
ITC international team
- Thomas Agar New Zealand ITC Survey Manager
- Anne Quah ITC Managing Director
- Geoffrey Fong Chief Principal Investigator of the ITC project
Ethical approval
This study has been approved by the University of Otago Human Ethics Committee (ref 20/020). If you have any concerns about the ethical conduct of the research, you may contact the Committee through the Human Ethics Committee Administrator:
Tel +64 3 479 8256
Email humanethics@otago.ac.nz
Any issues you raise will be treated in confidence and investigated and you will be informed of the outcome.
Findings
The EASE survey is conducted every 12 to 18 months. the most recent iteration (Wave 5), was conducted in 2024. Wave 6 will be conducted in late 2025.
Findings from the survey have been used to inform tobacco control plans, legislation and regulations. Future survey waves will help to evaluate the impact of New Zealand's recent policy changes, and as such EASE findings are of great local and international importance.
Selected research outputs:
- Das T, Nip J, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Tautolo E, Waa A, Zhang J, Fong GT, Agar T, Quah ACK,. Use Experiences of smoking acceptability in people who currently smoke in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from the 2022 ITC New Zealand (EASE) survey. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Brisbane. 2024
- Nip J, Edwards R, Stanley J, Ball J, Zhang J, Waa A, Tautolo E, Agar T, Quah ACK, Fong GT. Use of heated tobacco products and vapes in people who smoke or recently quit smoking in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from the 2022 ITC New Zealand (EASE) survey. Poster. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Brisbane. 2024
- Nip J, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Tautolo E, Waa A, Zhang J, Fong GT, Agar T, Quah ACK. Use of electronic cigarettes in people who smoke and recently quit smoking in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from the 2022 ITC New Zealand (EASE) survey. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Edinburgh. 2024
- Nip J, Das T, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Tautolo E, Waa A, Zhang J, Hoek J, Fong GT, Agar T, [Quah ACK. Experiences of smoking unacceptability in people who currently smoke in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from the 2022 EASE/ITC New Zealand survey. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Edinburgh. 2024
- Nip J, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Tautolo E, Waa A, Zhang J, Fong GT, Agar T, Quah ACK. The majority of people who smoke in Aotearoa New Zealand want to quit: Findings from the 2022 EASE/ITC New Zealand survey. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Edinburgh. 2024
- Nip J, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Tautolo E, Waa A, Zhang J, Fong GT, Agar T, Quah ACK. Use of cessation aids to quit smoking in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from the 2022 EASE/ITC New Zealand survey. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Edinburgh. 2024
- Nip J, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Tautolo E, Waa A, Zhang J, Fong GT, Agar T, Quah ACK. Use of foreign, counterfeit, or smuggled tobacco by people who smoke in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from the 2022 EASE/ITC New Zealand survey. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Edinburgh. 2024
- Nip J, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Tautolo E, Waa A, Zhang J, Fong GT, Agar T, Quah ACK. Use of homegrown tobacco by people who smoke in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from the 2022 EASE/ITC New Zealand survey. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Edinburgh. 2024
- Nip J, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Tautolo E, Waa A, Zhang J, Fong GT, Agar T, Quah ACK. Support for Aotearoa New Zealand’s smokefree action plan: Findings from the 2022 ITC New Zealand (EASE) survey. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Edinburgh. 2024
- Tautolo E, Nip J, Edwards R, Ball J, Stanley J, Waa A, Zhang J, Fong GT, Agar T, Quah ACK. Desire to quit smoking and support for smokefree legislation amongst Pacific Peoples in Aotearoa New Zealand: Findings from the 2022 EASE/ITC New Zealand survey. Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) Oceania Conference. Edinburgh. 2024
- Awareness, support, and perceived impacts of New Zealand’s Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Legislation among adults who smoke or formerly smoked: Findings from the Oct-Dec 2022 EASE/ITC New Zealand Survey (ITC report, Dec 2023)
- Smoking related knowledge, quit attempts and intentions, regret, and perceived addiction among people who smoke in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Findings from the ITC NZ (EASE) 2020-21 survey (SRNT Conference, San Antonio, March 2023)
- Capsule and menthol cigarette use in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Findings from the ITC NZ (EASE) 2020-21 survey (SRNT Conference, San Antonio, March 2023)
- Heated tobacco product use among people who smoke and recent quitters in Aotearoa/New Zealand: findings from the ITC NZ (EASE) 2020-21 survey (SRNT Conference, San Antonio, March 2023)
- Electronic cigarette use among people who smoke and recent quitters in Aotearoa/New Zealand: Findings from the ITC NZ (EASE) 2020-21 survey (SRNT Conference, San Antonio, March 2023)
- The Smokefree 2025 Action Plan: key findings from the ITC New Zealand (EASE) project (Public Health Expert Blog, July, 2021)
- Reasons for stopping e-cigarette use among smokers: findings from the 2018 ITC New Zealand Survey (New Zealand Medical Journal, October, 2020)
- Smokers increasingly use e-cigarettes to quit, new findings from ITC NZ survey (IJERPH, September 2020)
- ASPIRE2025 Research presented at SRNT Conference (New Orleans, March 2020)
- Beliefs among adult smokers and quitters and nicotine and de-nicotinized cigarettes in the 2016-17 ITC New Zealand Survey (Tobacco Regulatory Science, Sept 2019)
Contact us
Please contact the project team via the project administrator, Jacqui Hadingham:
Email ease@otago.ac.nz