Pressure mounts for plain tobacco packaging rules in New Zealand

New Zealand legislators and health advocates on Tuesday renewed calls for the introduction of plain packaging on tobacco products following the tobacco industry' s failure to stop similar moves in Australia.

The Maori Party - a partner party in New Zealand's center-right government - said it was delighted that tobacco giant Philip Morris lost a legal bid in Singapore to overturn Australia's plain packaging laws.

Maori Party co-leader Marama Fox said the legal action brought by international tobacco companies had dissuaded the New Zealand government from passing similar legislation.

The Maori Party had introduced a plain packaging bill into parliament more than two years ago "and we are still sitting on our hands," Fox said in a statement.

"I'm encouraged to hear the Trade Minister Todd McClay say he believes New Zealand is well positioned to defend a legal challenge if we were to pass plain packaging legislation here," she said.

The Maori Party was hopeful that the bill would be passed by parliament next year.

The Heart Foundation health group said the Singapore decision should embolden New Zealand to push ahead with its own legislation.

Foundation medical director Gerry Devlin said smoking was one of the leading causes of heart disease, killing more than 6,000 New Zealanders every year.

"Evidence shows that plain packaging removes the power of attractive imagery used by brands to sell a certain lifestyle or personality 'image' to consumers. It also stops tobacco companies from misleading people with lighter colors to suggest products are less harmful," Devlin said in a statement.

The government has committed to making New Zealand "smoke-free" by 2025 and hiking taxes on tobacco products each year.

Philip Morris has initiated at least three international challenges against Australia, which was the first country in the world to introduce plain packaging.

An arbitration court in Singapore ruled on Friday that it had no jurisdiction to consider Philip Morris' challenge against Australia's plain packaging legislation.