Background: Health inequalities are increased by “successful” programmes that fail disadvantaged groups (Maori, Pacific, low income). Health funders, appropriately, are requiring that providers achieve outcomes in disadvantaged groups that are at least similar to those for advantaged groups. This is a requirement of mainstream as well as targeted interventions and demands doing whatever it takes to remove barriers to service access and health change.

Method: Smokechange is a mainstream programme of personalised support to address smoking. Practitioners follow clear protocols and work to build the capacity of participants to consider, plan, achieve and maintain smokefree changes whatever their barriers to change might be. This study investigated smokefree outcomes (smokefree for >7 days after six months) for Maori and Pacific participants.

Results: Data were analysed for 1125 people smoking at enrolment and with six month follow-up information. There was no difference in smokefree rates at six months between Maori (31%) and non-Maori (32%) despite significantly increased challenges for Maori from higher proportion teenaged, female, community service card holders, low smokefree readiness at enrolment, with no recent smokefree attempt and being smokefree perceived as less important. There were significantly higher smokefree rates at six months for Pacific (44%) compared to non-Pacific (32%) participants (p<0.01) with Pacific significantly more likely to hold a community services card, be smoking <10cigs/day at enrolment and perceive being smokefree as important.

Conclusions: Equality, in terms of smokefree success, was achieved despite ethnic, social and economic differences of participants.

Implications: Health-funded smoking cessation interventions should report equitable outcomes.