Currently there are around 6,000 retail stores selling smoked tobacco products in Aotearoa. New legislation under the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 will restrict the sale of these products to no more than 599 outlets under the Smoked Tobacco Retail Scheme. Retailers who want to become an Approved Smoked Tobacco Retailer (ASTR) so they can legally sell smoked tobacco products from 1 July 2024, must submit an application to the Tobacco Regulatory Authority. The scheme will open for applications on 21 September 2023, further information will be available shortly.
In setting the maximum numbers per area, the Director-General of Health was required to take into account the size of the population in an area, the estimated number of people who smoke, the geographic nature of the area and estimated average travel times. As required by the Act, consultation was undertaken with the Māori Health Authority (Te Aka Whai Ora), iwi-Māori partnership boards, any iwi whose rohe includes all or part of a proposed area, and any other Māori who the Director-General considered appropriate. This targeted consultation was undertaken in early 2023, alongside consultation on other regulatory proposals, running in parallel with the wider public consultation.
The maximum numbers of approved smoked tobacoo retail premises permitted in areas of New Zealand are set out in the following tables.
Urban areas| Area | Number | Area | Number |
|---|
| Auckland | 25 | New Plymouth | 5 |
| Airside - Auckland International Airport | 1 | Ngāruawāhia | 2 |
| Airside - Christchurch International Airport | 1 | Ngongotahā | 2 |
| Airside - Queenstown International Airport | 1 | Oamaru | 3 |
| Airside - Wellington International Airport | 1 | Ōhope | 1 |
| Alexandra | 2 | Omokoroa | 1 |
| Amberley | 1 | One Tree Point | 1 |
| Arrowtown | 1 | Ōpōtiki | 2 |
| Ashburton | 3 | Ōtaki | 1 |
| Ashhurst | 1 | Ōtaki Beach | 1 |
| Balclutha | 2 | Otorohanga | 1 |
| Beachlands-Pine Harbour | 2 | Oxford | 1 |
| Blenheim | 4 | Paekākāriki | 1 |
| Bluff | 1 | Paeroa | 2 |
| Brightwater | 1 | Pahiatua | 1 |
| Bulls | 1 | Paihia/Kawakawa/Moerewa | 2 |
| Cambridge | 3 | Palmerston North | 6 |
| Carterton | 1 | Paraparaumu | 3 |
| Christchurch | 13 | Pegasus | 1 |
| Clive | 1 | Picton | 1 |
| Coromandel | 1 | Pōkeno | 1 |
| Cromwell | 2 | Porirua | 6 |
| Dannevirke | 2 | Prebbleton | 1 |
| Darfield | 1 | Pukekohe | 3 |
| Dargaville | 2 | Putāruru | 2 |
| Dunedin | 6 | Queenstown | 2 |
| Edgecumbe | 1 | Raglan | 1 |
| Eltham | 1 | Rangiora | 3 |
| Featherston | 1 | Renwick | 1 |
| Feilding | 3 | Richmond | 2 |
| Foxton | 1 | Riverhead | 1 |
| Foxton Beach | 1 | Rolleston | 2 |
| Geraldine | 1 | Rotorua | 6 |
| Gisborne | 5 | Ruakākā | 1 |
| Gore | 2 | Snells Beach | 1 |
| Greymouth | 2 | Stratford | 2 |
| Greytown | 1 | Taihape | 1 |
| Hamilton | 9 | Taumarunui | 2 |
| Hastings | 5 | Taupō | 4 |
| Havelock North | 3 | Tauranga | 8 |
| Hāwera | 2 | Te Anau | 1 |
| Helensville | 1 | Te Aroha | 1 |
| Hibiscus Coast | 4 | Te Awamutu | 2 |
| Hokitika | 1 | Te Kauwhata | 1 |
| Huntly | 2 | Te Kuiti | 2 |
| Inglewood | 1 | Te Puke | 2 |
| Invercargill | 5 | Temuka | 1 |
| Kaiapoi | 2 | Thames | 2 |
| Kaikohe | 2 | Timaru | 4 |
| Kaikōura | 1 | Tokoroa | 3 |
| Kaitaia | 2 | Tuakau | 2 |
| Katikati | 1 | Turangi | 1 |
| Kawerau | 2 | Upper Hutt | 4 |
| Kerikeri | 2 | Waiheke West | 2 |
| Kihikihi | 1 | Waihi | 2 |
| Kumeū-Huapai | 1 | Waihi Beach-Bowentown | 1 |
| Lake Hāwea | 1 | Waikanae | 2 |
| Lake Hayes | 1 | Waimate | 1 |
| Leeston | 1 | Waipawa | 1 |
| Levin | 3 | Waipukurau | 1 |
| Lincoln | 1 | Wairoa | 2 |
| Lower Hutt | 7 | Waitara | 2 |
| Lyttelton | 1 | Waiuku | 2 |
| Mangawhai Heads | 1 | Wakefield | 1 |
| Maraetai | 1 | Wānaka | 2 |
| Martinborough | 1 | Warkworth | 1 |
| Marton | 2 | Wellington | 8 |
| Masterton | 3 | Wellsford | 1 |
| Matamata | 2 | West Melton | 1 |
| Methven | 1 | Westport | 2 |
| Milton | 1 | Whakatāne | 3 |
| Morrinsville | 2 | Whangamatā | 1 |
| Mosgiel | 2 | Whanganui | 5 |
| Motueka | 2 | Whangārei | 5 |
| Murupara | 1 | Whitianga | 2 |
| Napier | 6 | Winton | 1 |
| Nelson | 4 | Woodend | 1 |
| Total Urban | | | 354 |
Rural areas| Area | Number |
|---|
| Northland (Te Tai Tokerau) | 18 |
| Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) | 4 |
| Waikato | 43 |
| Bay of Plenty (Te Moana a Toi-te-Huatahi) | 23 |
| Tairāwhiti/Hawkes Bay (Te Matau-a-Māui) | 20 |
| Taranaki | 9 |
| Manawatū/Whanganui | 21 |
| Wairarapa/Wellington (Te Whanganui-a-Tara) | 2 |
| Nelson (Whakatū)/ Marlborough (Te Tauihu-o-te-waka) | 7 |
| Tasman (Te Tai o Aorere)/West Coast (Te Tai Poutini) | 26 |
| Canterbury (Waitaha) | 22 |
| Otago (Ōtākou)/ Southland (Murihiku) | 47 |
| Chatham Islands (Wharekauri / Rēkohu) | 1 |
| Great Barrier Island (Aotea) | 1 |
| Stewart Island (Rakiura) | 1 |
| Total Rural | 245 |
| | |
| Total Urban + Rural | 599 |
