New Zealand rejects call for tobacco display ban

Campaigners against tobacco display bans are celebrating a minor victory in New Zealand where prime minister John Key has declared a ban does not have the support of national government at this stage.

The Stay Displays Coalition, supported by the Australian Association of Convenience Stores (AACS), said a ban would be expensive and ineffective.

Speaking on TV3’s Sunrise show Key said evidence suggested display bans were not an effective way to tackle smoking as a health issue and he wouldn't support it.

“The reason is there is no international evidence that it actually works, and it’s hugely expensive to do it,” he said.

“I don't support at this time a change from the current situation.”

Lobbyists, including Action on Smoking and Health (Ash), have been pushing for tobacco displays to go.

A high profile sports team doctor, John Mayhew, has also spoken out, comparing displays to mini-billboards.

“We can’t afford to continue to send mixed messages to young people,” he said.

“There are plenty of anti-smoking messages around, yet to see tobacco sitting alongside bread and milk in shops like it is a normal everyday product contradicts those messages.”

Key said restrictions were in place and the government sponsored plenty of stop smoking initiatives, but the costs of changing displays couldn’t be justified.

The Stay Displays Coalition argued the removal of displays was negligent in the current economic climate.

“Removing tobacco displays won't reduce smoking, but it will cost retailers thousands of dollars, and that is money that most retailers just don't have,” said coalition representative Richard Green.

Commenting on the successful challenge, David Killeen, executive director at the ACCS, said: “We have been campaigning and doing press releases quite vigorously lately and it seems it may have paid off for once.

“There was a change of Government in New Zealand in the past couple of months so it goes to show lobbying the opposition can sometimes work if the timing is right.”