Company expresses concern about leaked paper

For Immediate Release: 10 May 2006

Company expresses concern about leaked paper

British American Tobacco New Zealand (BATNZ) today expressed deep concern over the leaking of the Government’s Review of the Smoke-free Environments Regulations consultation paper before today’s official release date.

“This leak is another indication of the determination of some individuals or organisations to shape the public debate in their own favour by ignoring an agreed and understood process put in place by the Government,” said Carrick Graham, BATNZ’s head of corporate and regulatory affairs.

“There are some really important commercial and legal issues at stake that go well beyond the tobacco debate. These include the protection of intellectual property, the maintenance of a fair competitive environment, and implications for New Zealand’s criminal justice system arising from the growth of an illegal black market in tobacco products.

“In their haste to pre-determine an outcome relating to the sale of tobacco products in New Zealand, people should not ignore the wider implications for New Zealand’s business and commercial environment,” Mr Graham said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media