Lobbying docs show Govt’s weakness – Labour

Today’s revelations of tobacco industry lobbying lay bare why Labour’s Tobacco Transparency Bill is needed to stop governments putting the interests of the industry above people’s health.

Today’s RNZ story shows the wide range of politicians, experts, and officials tobacco lobbyists Philip Morris targeted to influence regulations and garner support for their products, including targeting Winston Peters.

“Christopher Luxon’s weak leadership has allowed Winston Peters and the tobacco industry ride roughshod over him by agreeing to a $200 million tax break for the tobacco industry,” Labour health spokesperson Ayesha Verrall said.

“Philip Morris even wrote legislation for NZ First to loosen the regulations around vaping. They note that Winston Peters is “industry friendly and highly geared towards commercial interests in the sector.

“I launched a members’ bill earlier this year to require disclosure of government contact with the tobacco industry, to make sure industry efforts to undermine New Zealanders’ health are reported,” Ayesha Verrall said.

The documents revealed today also show how vaping company JUUL targeted New Zealand as a market.

“It’s gutting to think we might not have the youth vaping problem we have today if my Bill was in place in 2018 before any of this lobbying took place.

“Around the world, tobacco companies have a long history of influencing and weakening health policies to better suit their bottom line – and here we see evidence of it happening in New Zealand.

“It’s time we get rid of the smokescreen and protect Kiwis from big tobacco’s lobbying tactics – they have no place in health policy,” Ayesha Verrall said.

Note to editors: More information about the Tobacco Transparency Bill can be found here.