New Zealand will implement a near-total smoking ban from next year

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New Zealand will implement a near-tobacco ban from next year, banning anyone born after 2008 from ever buying cigarettes and reducing the amount of nicotine in products sold in the meantime.

Under the legislation passed by Parliament on Tuesday, the cigarettes will be much weaker and more difficult to purchase and will not be permanently available to anyone under the current age of 14.

The legislation effectively raises the smoking age each year and is designed to reduce the number of people using tobacco products almost immediately.

The new rules are a step “toward a smoke-free future”, according to Aisha Feral, a cabinet minister who was the driving force behind the legislation.

“Thousands of people will live longer, healthier lives and the health system will be NZ$5 billion (£2.6 billion) better off not needing treatment for diseases caused by smoking, such as many types of cancer, heart attacks, strokes and amputations,” she said in a statement.

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