Legislation to introduce plain packaging of tobacco products passed its first reading in Parliament this week with almost unanimous support. But it won't become law until the result of a legal challenge to similar legislation in Australia is known.
ACT party leader John Banks was the only MP to vote against the bill as he believes it "guts the the intellectual property rights" of tobacco companies.
Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia first introduced the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Products and Packaging) Amendment Bill to Parliament in December last year. This week, Turia said that the bill would take away "the last means of promoting tobacco as a desirable product" by removing the connotations of "status, social acceptance and adventure" associated with tobacco brands.
Australia's plain packaging laws came into force in December 2012 and is being challenged by the World Trade Organisation (WTO). There are concerns New Zealand will face the same legal challenges by the WTO if it passes the bill. In Australia, the legal costs are estimated to be between $2 million and $6 million.
The Bill is part of a commitment to making New Zealand smokefree by 2025, a goal that was adopted in 2011 in response to the recommendations of a Parliamentary inquiry by the Māori Affairs select committee.
Parliamentary reporter Chris Bramwell explores the issue in this week's Focus on Politics.
