GUEST BLOG: Nick Rockel – Tobacco First

Has there ever been a Kiwi political party more in bed with business interests, more willing to prioritise them over what’s best for New Zealanders? That is, of course, if you don’t consider National or ACT. Although they’re more focussed on white collar donors, big Pharma and the like, and don’t forget that Gun Lobby.

To be fair you’d have to say the coalition parties complement each other well. Something for everyone – for a price, no doubt.

Still pound for pound, in terms of bare faced, shameless acts of corporate cooperation you’d have to say that NZ First were ahead of the pack. Battling it out in front are two contenders, vying to surpass old man Peters’ record – Casey “Ciggies” Costello and Shane “Kumara of the North” Jones.

A stellar week from these two, as once again we’re left wondering – do any rules apply to NZ First Ministers?

Didn’t think so. Thanks for the clarification Winnie, always good to be transparent about these things.

Shane Jones and the case of the forgettable dinner

At the start of the week it emerged that Minister Jones hadn’t been entirely up front about a dinner at which he’d suggested a coal mining company might like to fast track their consents. To be fair it hadn’t exactly seemed like he was following the rules with his first explanation.

You know, the sort of rules that might see a Labour Minister harassed to the point of resignation. Like Clare Curran. Whereas Sweet Potato Shane simply shrugs his shoulders, knowing full well that he’s accountable to precisely no one.

Stevenson Group deputy chair, Barry Bragg, wrote to Chris Bishop in February saying, “I had dinner with Resources and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones last Friday and he suggested I write to you to ask that the Te Kuha coal project be considered for listing in the fast-track and one-stop shop bill.”

Great, so the Minister for Mining is not only open to fast track consents but he’s actually out touting for business, encouraging mining companies to take advantage of the reduction in oversight.

“When I had a dinner with Barry Bragg down on the West Coast it was very much a last-minute thing, because I was in the middle of nowhere,” said Jones.

“I most certainly said to him, ‘Look, if you’re interested in the fast track, deal with Minister Bishop’ – which is probably what I’ve said to 365 other people, one for each day of the year.”

Brilliant, so not so much a fast track more of a fire sale.

Meetings between business interests and government ministers must be declared for fairly obvious reasons. Jones did correct the record the day after he was asked about the meeting, saying that contrary to it being a last minute thing, in the middle of nowhere, as he had stated, the dinner had in fact been arranged in advance and he listed the other attendees.

Captain Kumara blamed his staff saying it was a “cock-up, and inattention in our office”. However in emails released to Newsroom it turns outs it was the minister’s own staff that made the initial approach about a meeting.

Jones’ private secretary emailed the participants saying, “Hon Shane Jones, Minister for Resources, is in Westport on Friday February 16 and was wondering if you would like to join him for dinner along with other mining sector people.”

All of this sounds quite bad for Jones, like about a million times worse than what Clare Curran did, and yet where is Melissa Lee this time?

Presumably she’s in the nose bleed seats, on the furthest flung back bench, just waiting for a low ranking on the list and her resignation to spend more time with family at the next election.

In any case Jones’ secretary, Lucy Bennett, now says the case is closed and really who’s going to argue with Lucy that some sort of accountability ought to apply to Jones?

That’s right no one. Not Peters, not Luxon, nobody. The man is running around the country, flogging it off, and the rules simply do not apply to him. Whether it’s recording entries in his diary, or simply telling the truth about a meeting.

“The Prime Minister needs to ask Shane Jones why he failed to declare the meeting in the first place, and why he misled the public about it when challenged,” Megan Woods said.

“If the Fast Track Approvals Bill is passed in its current form, it would make him one of the decision makers on projects that these people he secretly met with want to see given the green light.”

Casey Costello sells out Kiwis to Big Tobacco – Again.

Meanwhile… as Shane was busy flogging off the natural environment for a few sovereigns Casey Costello, the Associate Minister of Health, was looking to make Heated Tobacco Products (HTPs) cheaper, to the tune of a 50% cut in excise tax.

Your move Shane.

Once again, under the guise of common sense and offering safer alternatives, the Minister is prolonging the demand for nicotine and the dangerous products offered by the Tobacco Industry to deliver it.

Way to Health, Minister! You’ll be putting the lobbyists out of business at this rate.

Costello made no announcement about the change and refused to be interviewed on it by RNZ. The media and the public seemingly being of little interest to the Minister compared to the interests of the tobacco companies that she seems to be serving.

Janet Hoek, Professor of Public Health at Otago University, said of the change “Certainly that is something that tobacco companies would have been keen to see happen. This is not advice that is coming from the Ministry (of Health). It certainly seems to be advice that is suiting tobacco industry interests.”

Tobacco giant Phillip Morris has been lobbying for a price reduction for HTPs. Costello asked for advice on HTPs only to be told by ministry officials that, “there is no evidence to support their use as a quit smoking tool.”

“We do not recommend liberalising the way HTPs are promoted. This would likely compound existing concerns about youth uptake and addiction to nicotine products.”

All of which suggests that the Minister is acting on the advice of tobacco companies, in lowering this tax rate, and ignoring the advice of the ministry who opposed it.

The Public Health Communication Centre put out a full briefing on this yesterday, this is their introduction:

Recently released documents from the Ministry of Health and Associate Health Minister Casey Costello’s office reveal the Ministry of Health advised that repealing key smokefree measures would undermine the Smokefree 2025 goal.

The Ministry also advised against introducing oral nicotine products, such as snus and oral nicotine pouches. The Associate Health Minister did not take her Ministry’s advice but instead heeded calls by tobacco companies to allow sales of these products.

In this Briefing, we examine Ministry of Health advice, outline arguments from tobacco companies and groups affiliated with them, and review the Associate Health Minister’s actions.

I feel like it needs to be said again, as the only way I can see to interpret this is that:

The Associate Minister of Health is acting on the advice of Tobacco Companies and ignoring the advice of the Ministry of Health.

Back in January I wrote about Costello’s intention to reduce the price of tobacco, you can read about that here:

Once again we see the result of Christopher Luxon being so desperate to become Prime Minster that he was willing to give these individuals, who appear quite short on scruples, unchallenged powers, and the ability to do great harm to our country and people. In order to achieve his personal ambition.

Seems like a dangerous road to go down if you ask me. Still, what price can you put on a little boy’s dreams?

If mining has to go ahead despite large scale public opposition, if a few people have shortened lifespans due to tobacco, isn’t that a price worth paying to see Luxon smile?

What do you think?

 

 

“Nick Rockel is a left wing writer who spent far too long working in IT and now writes “Nick’s Kōrero”. An almost daily substack of political satire, news, and views, from Aotearoa New Zealand. He lives in West Auckland, and has 5 kids, 2 dogs, and 1 wife. He Substacks here.