Standardised Tobacco Products and Packaging Draft Regulations

Consultation document

Published online: 
31 May 2016

In 2013 the Government decided to introduce a new regulatory scheme to standardise tobacco products and packaging

The legislation that creates the regulatory powers to bring in standardised tobacco products and packaging – the Smoke-free Environments (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Amendment Bill ‑ is currently progressing through Parliament. The date when the regulations will come into force depends on when the Bill is passed, and has yet to be determined. 

Regulations will be needed to bring the new regulatory scheme into force. The Government has not yet made any final decisions on these detailed regulatory requirements and the Ministry of Health is now seeking feedback on draft regulations for the Bill. 

The scope of the current consultation is confined to the proposed requirements for standardised tobacco products and packages as set out in the exposure draft of the regulations (PDF, 637 KB)

The consultation document (PDF, 471 KB) gives an overview of the exposure draft regulations, raises a number of consultation issues, and poses specific questions which may help you to prepare your submission.

The draft regulations are set out in four parts:

  • Part 1 sets out general requirements that will apply to all tobacco products (subpart 1) and all tobacco packages (subpart 2) respectively. 
  • Part 2 contains provisions that apply only to cigarettes, cigarette packs and cigarette cartons. 
  • Part 3 relates to loose tobacco packaging. 
  • Part 4 covers packaging for cigars.

Consultation issues and questions are set out in the consultation document under two headings.

  • Size and quantities of tobacco products.
  • Permitted markings on tobacco packages.

Submitters can also suggest other additional features to increase the effectiveness of standardised packaging and make other comments on the content of the draft regulations.

The Ministry welcomes submissions on the content and coverage of the draft regulations, backed up wherever possible with detailed reasons and factual evidence. We are particularly interested in the impact and practical implications of the proposed regulations, including for compliance and enforcement.

Please note that both the contents of the Bill and the earlier policy decision to standardise tobacco products and packaging have been the subject of previous public consultation, and are outside the scope of this consultation.

How to have your say

The closing date for submissions is: 5 pm Friday 29 July 2016.

Submitters are encouraged to make submissions by email, using the response form provided (docx, 29 KB), to: [email protected].

Indicative images of standardised cigarette pack (from the consultation document)

The images below are simple mock-ups to give a visual impression of what cigarette packs would look like under the proposals for standardised packages contained in the draft regulations.  The illustrations are only intended as a general guide, and do not accurately represent all the detailed proposals in the draft regulations.  The example of a health warning image and associated message are included in the images to give a complete impression, but are not within the scope of this consultation.

Indicative 3-D image of a standardised cigarette pack
Indicative 3-D image of a standardised cigarette pack -click to enlarge
Indicative layout for printing a standardised cigarette pack
Indicative layout for printing a standardised cigarette pack - click to enlarge

 

Publishing information

  • Date of publication:
    31 May 2016
  • ISBN:
    978-0-947515-17-1 (online), 978-0-947515-16-4 (print)
  • HP number:
    6422
  • Citation:
    Ministry of Health. 2016. Standardised Tobacco Products and Packaging Draft Regulations: Consultation document. Wellington: Ministry of Health.
  • Ordering information:
    Only soft copy available to download
  • Copyright status:

    Owned by the Ministry of Health and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.

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