New Zealand, Led by New PM Luxon, to Scrap World-Leading Anti-Smoking Laws

New Zealand’s plans for world-leading anti-smoking laws will be revoked, Christopher Luxon confirmed on Monday after being sworn in as prime minister, in a move described as a “huge win for the tobacco industry”.

Former airline boss, Mr. Luxon (53) of the conservation National Party, was sworn in as head of a new coalition government by New Zealand’s governor-general in a ceremony in the capital Wellington on November 27, 2023.

In his first address to the media as the Prime Minister, Mr. Luxon 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.