The new centre-right government plans to turn around laws banning tobacco sales to anyone born after 2008, reports Bloomberg.

The legislation that meant people born after 2008 would never legally be able to buy cigarettes will be scrapped by the new government, comprising the National, ACT and New Zealand First parties, according to coalition agreements. They will also put an end to a plan that wanted to reduce the number of retail outlets selling cigarettes, reports Bloomberg.
The law banning anyone born after 2008 from buying tobacco legally had been put in place by the previous Labour-led government and was due to come into effect from 2027.
The new government now plans to repeal this decision by March next year and also change vaping product requirements and apply tax to smoked products only, according to Bloomberg.
“This is major loss for public health, and a huge win for the tobacco industry whose profits will be boosted at the expense of Kiwi lives,” said Boyd Swindon, co-chair of the Health Coalition Aotearoa. He went on to explain that, according to recent research, the smoke-free regulations would have saved NZD 1.3 billion (USD 790 million) in health system costs over the next 20 years and reduced all-cause mortality rates by 22 per cent for women and 9 per cent for men.