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Incoming New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon Alamy Stock Photo

New Zealand to scrap world-leading anti-smoking laws, new Prime Minister announces

The anti-smoking legislation was designed to almost immediately reduce the number of people using tobacco products.

NEW ZEALAND’S PLANS for world-leading anti-smoking laws will be revoked, Christopher Luxon has confirmed after being sworn in as prime minister, in a move described as a “huge win for the tobacco industry”.

Former airline boss Luxon took over six weeks after his conservative National Party won national elections, ending a six-year Labour Party reign ushered in by Jacinda Ardern.

Luxon, 53, was sworn in as head of a new coalition government by New Zealand’s governor-general in a ceremony in the capital Wellington.

“It is an honour and an awesome responsibility,” Luxon told reporters.

The conservative said he would prioritise taming inflation and bringing down interest rates, and also confirmed he would scrap a so-called “generational smoking ban” adopted last year that stops sales of tobacco to anyone born after 2008.

Luxon said the tax revenue from ongoing cigarette sales would generate welcome income for the government, but also voiced concern that the ban would create a flourishing – and untaxed – black market.

‘Major loss’

The move was criticised by anti-smoking groups as a step back for the country.

“This is a major loss for public health, and a huge win for the tobacco industry, whose profits will be boosted at the expense of Kiwi lives,” the Health Coalition Aotearoa – the Maori name for New Zealand – said in a statement.

The anti-smoking legislation, scheduled to start later this year, was designed to almost immediately reduce the number of people using tobacco products.

While the number of adults smoking in New Zealand is relatively low at just 8%, the previous government had envisioned a future where the country was completely smoke-free.

As well as the steadily increasing age limit, the new law would have slashed the number of retailers able to sell tobacco products to a maximum of just 600 nationwide, a massive drop from the current figure of 6,000.

Originally unveiled by then-PM Ardern and praised by public health experts and anti-smoking advocates, a suite of near-identical measures were recently announced in the United Kingdom.

‘Prudent’ spending

Luxon focused on the need to revive the economy in his remarks today.

“We have to reduce the cost of living and get inflation under control so we can lower interest rates and make food more affordable,” he said.

Luxon said his new government would also focus in its first few months on restoring law and order and improving public services.

The former Labour government struggled to control the rising cost of living, a global issue blamed in part on pandemic-related supply issues and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The previous prime minister, Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins, took over from Ardern in January.

She had unexpectedly resigned, calling an end to her five-year period in office because she no longer had “enough in the tank”.

Luxon said his cabinet would meet over the next two days to determine their plans for the first 100 days in office.

National has also said it wants to crack down on crime, ban cellphones in schools and scrap planned fuel tax hikes.

“A lot of our focus is on tackling the underlying cause of inflation,” Luxon said.

“That means a series of things to make sure we generate savings out of the public service and that government spending is prudent.”

Coalition government

Luxon became the country’s 42nd prime minister following protracted coalition talks that came to an agreement on Friday.

His National party has formed a three-party coalition with the conservative ACT and populist New Zealand First parties to govern in the 123-seat parliament.

In a first for New Zealand, the deputy prime minister role will be shared in two 18-month stints.

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters, 78, was sworn in alongside Luxon as deputy prime minister, but will hand over the role at the end of May 2025.

He will be replaced by ACT leader David Seymour for the remainder of the three-year parliamentary term.

Luxon, a father of two, is a wealthy teetotaller and lover of country music who rose to prominence when he ran the national airline for seven years before entering politics.

© AFP 2023 

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    Mute Tommy Haze
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:17 AM

    Common sense.

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    Mute Mike smith
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:27 PM

    @Tommy Haze: True to form you are.

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    Mute David Jordan
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:29 PM

    @Tommy Haze: They reduced taxes for the middle and high earners, this resulted in a shortfall in tax that they had to find tax somewhere else, so they scrapped their age based smoking restrictions, which will result in an extra c. 5,000 deaths per year and an increased burden on the health services of NZ$65 million a year ($1.3 billion over 20 years). But it’s all grand, the rich get a tiny bit richer.

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    Mute Alan
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:30 PM

    @Mike smith: if you want to damage your health with all the consequences for your friends, families, the health services, what’s wrong with that?

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    Mute Tommy Haze
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    Nov 27th 2023, 7:50 PM

    @David Jordan:
    Good to see you back David.

    6
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    Mute Pato
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:32 AM

    Just recognising the reality. An outright ban was ridiculous in that it was never going to work, not to mention the infringement of civil rights. There is a less here for our minister for justice and her proposed “hate speech” legislation.

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:37 AM

    @Pato: Not really: the legislation may be changed after a change of government, as in NZ, but there’s no reason for the current government not to attempt to implement it in the meantime.

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    Mute Pauline Gallagher
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:19 PM

    @Brendan O’Brien: And what is going to count as hate speech? you really want to waste taxpayers money and police resources having to arrest people for having an opinion?

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    Mute Brendan O'Brien
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:26 PM

    @Pauline Gallagher: I offered no opinion on the legislation, but, as Simon Harris said today, online hatred and disinformation do need to be combated.

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    Mute Alison Hughes
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:59 PM

    @Pauline Gallagher: yes, if those opinions are an incitement to violence expressed with the intent of causing such.
    You’re obviously not one of the more educated members of society, are you?!?!?!

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    Mute Ann neylan
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    Nov 27th 2023, 1:01 PM

    @Pato: ….and what about tourism?…

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    Mute Ignatius J Reilly
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    Nov 27th 2023, 1:09 PM

    @Alison Hughes: that would be incitement to violence then, when quite clearly what is being discussed is incitement to hatred. Strange that someone apparently so educated wouldn’t be able to differentiate between ‘violence’ and ‘hatred’.

    51
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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Nov 27th 2023, 3:39 PM

    @Ann neylan: Good point. I’ve always wanted to visit NZ, but I’m not about to give up cigarettes just to be allowed to visit.

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    Mute David Hughes
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:47 AM

    I can see both sides of the argument, but if you’ve witnessed someone dying of lung cancer from smoking, there’s no argument.

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    Mute Kevin O Brien
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:40 AM

    Another politician Following the Money and working hard for the 1 percent

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    Mute Alison Hughes
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:52 PM

    @Kevin O Brien: explain…

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    Mute Kevin O Brien
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:56 PM

    @Alison Hughes: Please study the Tobacco industry business model

    56
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    Mute Ludie Creech
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:39 AM

    If people these days, with the overwhelming evidence of the dangers of smoking (printed right in the packaging by the manufacturers, need a law to prevent them from smoking- there may very well be no hope.

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    Mute patrick kelly
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:35 AM

    So he wants people to get cancer?

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    Mute Ignatius J Reilly
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:42 AM

    @patrick kelly: he wants people to be free to make their own choices even if those choices might lead to them getting cancer. Does the Irish state “want people to get heart disease and/or be obese” because they don’t ban unhealthy food and fast food chains? No, that would be an absurd conclusion to reach based on citizens being free to make their own choices.

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    Mute Setanta O'Toole
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:42 AM

    @patrick kelly: trying to promote better public health is probably considered ‘woke’ these days. Most conservative politicians are much more concerned with revoking their predecessors policies than implimenting their own positive ones. No doubt he’ll be championed as a great man for ‘owning the libs’ for this by people who don’t have a bulls notion what he actually stands for.

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    Mute Mike smith
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:28 PM

    @SF Means Sh!t 4 Free: NZ’s borders are easily controlled.

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Nov 27th 2023, 1:01 PM

    @SF Means Sh!t 4 Free: he said that as an aside – as an excuse. He really wants the populist appeal to the conservative voters and take the country backwards again

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    Mute J Ven
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:40 AM

    Mixed feelings, fee country, do what you want, but the smoking bad had a tangible positive effect in Ireland and other European countries, the number of smokers have massively reduced in a generation. As a parent, i wouldn’r want my kids to be hooked up in this stuff. This can one the door to many philosophical complaints, such as the “extra revenue” the sale of tobacco will bring vs the money spent in treating smoke related diseases, in Ireland the HSE spends more than twice the money than the revenue it receives. You can also make an argument that universal healthcare is supposed to be there to prevent and treat people, not to enable their bad habits. If I have a healthy lifestyle, why do my taxes have to pay for your smoking habit treatment? This could work in the US where everyone is for themselves, but not here or in NZ.

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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Nov 27th 2023, 4:52 PM

    @J Ven: No, not buying into that
    “purer than thou” attitude. I’ve paid taxes all my life and I’m proud to see emergency services looking after other people’s children. I donate blood and if mine goes to help some unfortunate person who fell over, I’m not here to judge them because they had a drink. I mightn’t need a liver transplant myself but I carry a donor card. And if you’re a parent and deny your children vaccines, they are still entitled to healthcare – & to benefit from what medical staff have learnt from other sick people.

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    Mute NoelDublin
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    Nov 27th 2023, 11:15 PM

    @J Ven: Genuine question, do you have a credible source for your statement that HSE spends over double the revenue they receive on smoking related illness? I didn’t know it was so high and would like to look at the data. Thanks

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    Mute Drin Pog
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:17 PM

    All we hear is the anti smoking brigade, if everyone stopped smoking today, be it through choice or law, the impact on tax revenue would be immediate, the impact on health benefits wouldn’t be felt for a few years.
    How would they replace that lost tax? The workers would pay more without a doubt, anti smoking brigade would soon want people to start again

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    Mute Mike smith
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:30 PM

    @Drin Pog: Geeze, your issue is a short term tax hit. There are a million other ways to collect taxes. Use your imagination.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Nov 27th 2023, 1:21 PM

    Wouldn’t have worked anyway, just creating a huge market for criminal gangs

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    Mute Peter Dunwoody
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    Nov 27th 2023, 5:35 PM

    I have been a smoker and drinker, since around the age of eight or so, I am now over sixty-five, I know I haven’t been in great health for most of my life, I have many times given up one or the other, or both on many occasions, for days, weeks, months, even years at a time, my health never really improved by a great amount when I was off, either, I have gone on drinking binges, and then will give it a break for a while, I have changed my brand of cigarettes, on numerous occasions, rolled my own, smoked a pipe, cigars, drank all sorts of beers spirits, cocktails, drank in more pups, disco’s, than most, close to, if not more than a thousands, I have met many people, in these places, had some wonderful times, I don’t drink or smoke, because I need to, or have to, I never ( unlike many), go out with the intention of getting drunk,/plastered, I do/did it because I enjoy both, for ninety percent of drinkers and smokers, we do both, in my experience, alcohol, is a far greater issue health wise, than cigarettes, I don’t cough any where near as bad if I just smoke, I don’t have the same pains and aches, if I don’t drink, ( in particular stomach issues), I firmly believe, we are looking at the wrong offender, and ignoring, the serious harm, of alcohol, and for that matter, fizzy drinks, like coke, known for ruining teeth, and we will have far greater issues with obesity, and a bigger strain on our health, system, with overweight people, needing extra, staff, equipment etc.
    Back when I began smoking, and drinking in my teens, it was cool to indulge in both, Pubs, and disco’s were packed, many bartenders, to cater for the crowds, pubs, got full for the last hour in the evening, disco’s were the thing later, many pubs had entertainment, pool, tables, darts, domino’s , card games, singalongs, and many gave out free snacks, a fun place to hang out, that’s all gone now, many pubs, only having one member of staff serving,( on-site, and that in my mind should be illegal, in all businesses, there should all-ways be at least two).
    Since Fina Gael has come to office, the cost of everything has more than doubled, They are only encouraging, people to buy, from the black market, take trips out of the country to buy cheaper, many built their own, little bars in the back yard, during the pandemic, and rarely go to pubs, as they are far to expensive now. I and many around, spent tens of thousands over the years, giving many employment, from waiters/waitress, drink, servers, do we even have a tobacco, industry here now?. We have lost, many of our attractions, we once had at our beaches, Killiney, Bray, just an example, what the hell, and who allowed this to all happen, people are angry, they have had enough of this government, and their disrespect for it’s citizens.

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    Mute Atlas Collapsed
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    Nov 27th 2023, 1:26 PM

    I’d imagine the tobacco industry was terrified that this ban would take place. It would have been a first and could have proved that this is a feasible thing to do l, potentially leading other countries to follow. There must have been some serious tobacco industry lobbying taking place in the background. Would be interested in hearing that story…

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    Mute David
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    Nov 27th 2023, 5:17 PM

    Straight-up ban causes an instant Black market, nothing gained and everything lost.

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    Mute Kieran Menon
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    Nov 27th 2023, 2:52 PM

    Hate being around smokers, aside from the second hand smoke health issues they make you stink alongside them.

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    Mute Paul Gorry
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    Nov 27th 2023, 3:12 PM

    @Kieran Menon: lovely fags

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    Mute F Fitzgerald
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    Nov 27th 2023, 3:38 PM

    @Kieran Menon: Are you American that you have such an unnatural aversion to your own sense of smell? We’re lucky to have that ability post-Covid.

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    Mute mike fahy
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    Nov 27th 2023, 4:46 PM

    @Kieran Menon: Then don’t hang around them.

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    Mute MTB Mayo
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    Nov 28th 2023, 1:39 PM

    @Kieran Menon: that’s fine, but if someone wants to smoke or ingest any substance in the privacy of their own home then no government should have the power to legislate against this. Stop trying to control everybody.

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    Mute mike fahy
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    Nov 27th 2023, 4:45 PM

    Then don’t hang around them.

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    Mute Gregory Daniel
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    Nov 27th 2023, 8:58 PM

    Looks NZ has had enough of lefty lunacy

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    Mute Jippo Nolan
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    Nov 27th 2023, 12:23 PM

    What a day to give up the Fags!

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    Mute InB5gHV2
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    Nov 28th 2023, 12:33 AM

    All schools should bring kids onto lung cancer wards or have yet to pass victims of Tobacco companies go to the schools.
    Lost our father at 49

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    Mute MTB Mayo
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    Nov 28th 2023, 1:37 PM

    If someone wants to smoke or ingest substances in their own private residence then there should be no law prohibiting this. Please stop trying to legislate every bit of our lives. Well done NZ.

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