Latest News
‘You have to learn by our mistakes’: Warning from Australia over black market tobacco
seasoned Australian homicide detective says New Zealand can soften the blow of fire bombed shops and violent organised crime seen in Australia, if black market tobacco is stamped out now.
An RNZ investigation last month found black market cigarettes were being openly sold in Auckland shops at huge discounts.
Now, Retail NZ has released a report calling for the establishment of a taskforce to stop the illegal sale of tobacco, which it says is putting communities at risk.
It said the situation across the ditch was a stark warning of how a booming black market can undermine decades of public health progress and trigger a rise in violent crime.
Illicit tobacco accounts for an estimated 50 to 60 percent of the Australian market share, according to statistics cited by Retail NZ.
Illegal sale of tobacco puts communities at risk – Retail NZ
Retired Australian homicide detective Charlie Bezzina said the genie was out of the bottle over the Tasman sea.
“Given the fact that we’ve let this ferment, and it’s fermented, it’s grown, it’s spread, it’s like a cancer, and then to try and then start implementing resources is quite difficult,” he said.
“If it’s in its infancy in New Zealand, you have to learn by our mistakes.”
Bezzina said New Zealand law enforcement should speak with Australian law enforcement, who possessed a wealth of information on the issue.
He said Victoria’s state government had been slow to respond to the organised crime element.
“They’ve got no powers to shut down shops, they’ve got no powers to address the landlords who are happy to put illicit people into their premises … so we are losing the battle there.”
Dr James Martin is an associate criminology professor at Melbourne’s Deakin University. He said illicit nicotine was now worth more to organised crime groups than cocaine, cannabis, heroin, and ecstasy … combined.
“We’ve seen really a nationwide crime wave,” he said.
There had been over 280 arson attacks on both legal and illicit nicotine retailers, he said.
“There have been multiple homicides, kidnappings, torture, and what government has described as countless instances of intimidation and extortion of the retail sector.”
Martin New Zealand’s efforts to move smokers onto vapes has helped reduce smoking rates.
“More than 95 percent of the vaping products sold in Australia are now illicit as well,” he said.
“That’s a critical harm reduction difference in policy that I think has been much better implemented in New Zealand, and this is helping prevent some of the worst effects that we’re seeing here.”
He was not surprised to seeing the illicit trade in New Zealand.
“Australia has the number one highest tobacco taxes in the world, and New Zealand is number two, so it’s not surprising to see, even though your tobacco trade is much diminished now because of the success of your vaping policy, it’s not surprising to see some of the similar dynamics taking place albeit on a smaller kind of scale.”
Retail NZ’s chief executive Carolyn Young told RNZ a multi-agency taskforce should be set up, made up of police, Customs and health professionals.
Retail NZ’s chief executive Carolyn Young. Photo: Supplied
Chief customs officer for fraud and prohibition Nigel Barnes said they were continually investing in intelligence and targeting measures to adapt to organised crime groups, but he would not be drawn on a potential task force.
“Customs has long regarded illicit tobacco smuggling as a transnational organised crime issue, and these networks are vast,” Barnes said.
“I won’t speculate on the suggestion of a taskforce but what we do know is that it takes a network to defeat a network, and we have been working with our partners, domestically and internationally, to that end.”
They did not want what was happening in Australia to make its way over here, Barnes said.
“The Australian market is something that we definitely want to avoid, and it’s been mentioned before, is that we don’t want to end up in that situation,” he said.
“If we do everything within our power then we would hopefully would be able to avoid that.”
Customs minister Casey Costello welcomed Retail NZ’s report, and told RNZ the illicit market had been a concern since she had been in the role.
“The idea of a reduced harm pathway is having alternative products that are cheaper and safer. And with the illicit tobacco market, we’re now competing with a product that’s cheaper, and therefore we’re at risk.”
Costello said she was having conversations around the need to reduce demand and stop supply.
“In the organised crime space, we have to be commodity agonstic, because anything from which they can make money, they will profit from and they will utilise. Illicit tobacco is one of those profits. We need to have a joined up response, and this is where I totally agree with the report.”
Costello, who is also an associate health minister and associate police minister, said a joint task force would be essential, and she had already sought advice around a broader “force multiplier” response from health, police, and customs.
“I think a joined up task force is a priority, is achievable, and is something that we really need,” she said.
Last month, RNZ visited an east Auckland store selling cigarettes for less than half the amount of excise required by law to be paid.
Those caught selling illicit cigarettes, could face a six-month prison sentence, a $20,000 fine or both.
Importing cigarettes without paying the excise duty is illegal under Customs law.
rnz
The chief executive of the Parliamentary Service is confident there will be enough room to accommodate the increased number of MPs and their staff coming into Parliament.
On current numbers, up to 131 MPs could be sitting in the Chamber following the election, brought on by a record overhang result.
Clerk of the House of Representatives Dr David Wilson told the Spinoff that currently the debating chamber had enough chairs to seat 124 MPs – including the Speaker of the House – and work was being done to accommodate more by altering the seating arrangement.
In a statement, Parliamentary Service chief executive Rafael Gonzalez-Montero said planning for a larger Parliament had been going for “some time”.
“Now that the election results have confirmed an increase to the number of members we are looking at several options.
“We are confident we will be able to accommodate all members within the Chamber.”
VNP / Phil Smith
Gonzalez-Montero said office accommodation for members and their staff would be “stretched” for a short time, but the new Members’ Building was only a few months away from “practical completion”.
That building – located behind Parliament – was due to be ready to occupy in April next year and had capacity to accommodate around 30 backbench MPs.
“All members should be in fit-for-purpose accommodation from that point,” Gonzalez-Montero said.
Following the 2023 election, 123 MPs sat in the Chamber – a record number at the time. That decreased to 122 following the resignation of National MP Judith Collins.
Collins held the seat of Papakura and stepped down in May and Parliament voted against holding a by-election because it was too close to the election.
The election result also meant high-ranking National Party MPs like Chris Bishop, Paul Goldsmith, Nicola Willis and Gerry Brownlee – Speaker of the House and an MP for 30 years – would likely not make it back into Parliament.
Only resigning or retiring MPs were permitted to give a valedictory speech meaning none of them would get the chance to give a valedictory statement.
Asked if their would be special allowances for valedictories, Wilson said in a statement that normally only MPs were allowed to speak in the House but the House could suspend its own rules or temporarily alter them.
“It could do so to allow former members to address the House.”
Wilson said no such arrangements could be made until the next Parliament opened and members sworn in.
rnz
Police say person who fired gun at officers still at large
New Zealand sides named for RLWC finals
Parliamentary Service working on extra chairs and offices for increased number of MPs
-
Latest News2 months ago‘Chilling’: Business groups speak out against National’s supermarket break-up plan
-
NZ News2 months agoTom Phillips report: The missed opportunities to find the children
-
Politics2 months agoNational vows to try to split Pak’nSave and New World
-
Latest News2 months agoCars bearing Chinese police markings stir unease in Auckland
-
Fiji News2 months agoPlans to have new Constitution by Dec 24th 2026
-
NZ News2 months agoCop who stole $68,000 can now be named as champion Muay Thai fighter Haimona Tamati-Te Paki
-
Politics2 months agoMBIE confirms botched biometric projects costs blown out to $50.7 million
-
Latest News2 months agoFive Karangahape Road venues lose their liquor licences after police intervention