WELLINGTON: New Zealand has overturned laws that would have banned the sale of cigarettes to future generations, the government said on Thursday, reported German news agency (dpa).

Under the leadership of Jacinda Ardern, the country passed a groundbreaking law in 2022 that would have ended the sale of tobacco to anyone born after 2008.

The law also included a reduction in the nicotine content of cigarettes and a reduction in the number of tobacco sales outlets.

However, the new National coalition government overturned the law under urgency overnight on Wednesday, bypassing the usual scrutiny and public submissions process.

Associate Minister of Health, Casey Costello, said the government was still committed to the country being smoke-free.

"New Zealand has seen some of the largest drops in smoking rates across the world in recent years and we want to build on the practical tools and approaches that have worked to date," she said.

"The last government was moving towards an untested regime that ignored how well quit-smoking initiatives were working, and the potential downside of taking a prohibitionist approach for smokers, or for retailers and crime."

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it was a "tragic milestone" for the country.

"The government folding to big tobacco while pretending to care about the health and wellbeing of New Zealanders is the stuff of dystopian nightmares. It lacks a moral compass, content to continue to promote and support an industry that literally kills its consumers," he said.

Thousands of New Zealanders would be condemned to tobacco addiction, harm and preventable death, Health Coalition Aotearoa said.

"The tobacco industry will be celebrating their victory in getting the government coalition parties, all of whom have significant ties with the industry, to run their agenda in keeping 284,000 smokers addicted to their products for as long as possible," co-chair Boyd Swinburn said.

"Putting the profits of the tobacco industry ahead of the health of New Zealanders is grossly irresponsible," Swinburn said.

-- BERNAMA