The New Zealand (NZ) government has set a goal to reduce smoking prevalence to 5% by 2025. Furthermore, it wants to achieve this for all population groups, even though current smoking prevalences are significantly higher (45%) among Māori (indigenous New Zealanders), Pacific peoples (31%) and those living in the most deprived neighborhoods (38%). Data from the NZ Year 10 smoking survey indicate that girls develop addiction faster than boys. Using data from the 2002 and 2003 Year 10 surveys we examined differences in the speed of onset of tobacco addiction between youth of Asian, European, Māori and Pacific Island origins.