Lay summary
Smoking is the second highest preventable risk factor for premature death and morbidity in Aotearoa New Zealand, and imposes a large contribution to the life expectancy gap in Counties Manukau (CM). Maaori and Pacific Peoples are disproportionately affected by tobacco-related diseases and experience substantial adverse impacts from cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. The enhanced CM Living Smokefree Service aims to reduce these disparities through a range of social innovations designed to increase the engagement of Maaori and Pacific communities in smoking cessation initiatives. The proposed activation activity will establish the foundation for a rigorous developmental evaluation of the enhanced equity-focused CM Living Smokefree Service. We integrate social science theory and a contemporary realist evaluative synthesis, drawing on the literature, a document analysis, and stakeholder and community perspectives. The iterative, participatory, systems-oriented activities will develop a program-theory based evaluation framework critically informed by the communities we serve.