Labour MP Rachel Boyack isn't backing down from her suggestion that new Cabinet minister Chris Bishop's experience as a tobacco lobbyist could have influenced the Government's decision to pull back on smokefree legislation.
At the post-Cabinet press conference last week, Bishop rejected a link between his previous role and the Government's plan. But that hasn't stopped Boyack from continuing to ask questions about Bishop's influence without any evidence.
In a tweet last month, hours after the coalition agreements that form the basis for the new Government were unveiled, Boyack tweeted: "Looks like getting a tobacco lobbyist into parliament finally paid off for the tobacco industry". She included several emojis, including a vomiting face.
The deals include repealing some smokefree legislation and regulations, thereby "removing requirements for denicotisation, removing the reduction in retail outlets and the generation ban, while also amending vaping product requirements and taxing smoked products only".
Boyack wasn't able to provide any evidence of Bishop influencing the policy when asked about it on Monday.
"Chris Bishop was part of the negotiating team, so he would have known that this was going through, and I think it is a question we should be asking him - is his background working in this area influencing their policy?" she said.
She didn't back down when it was put to her that Bishop had rejected the claim of his background influencing policy.
"He was part of the coalition negotiations, and every member of that negotiation team would have known what was coming through."
Bishop being aware of what is in the deal isn't in dispute.
When it was again noted that Bishop had rejected the claim, Boyack said the new minister "can say what he wants to say I guess".
"But the reality is National has agreed to this."
Asked if any of the statements she was making were based in fact or if she was just asking questions, Boyack replied: "I am really concerned about the influence of big tobacco in New Zealand."
"I think it's important that every MP should be accountable for the values that they hold and I think we can point to people's values based on the jobs that they've had in the past."
Boyack said she looked at MPs' "experiences before they come into Parliament" and explained how her background influenced her actions.
"For me, I was a union organiser and so those are my values. I stand up for working people and those are my values and I do take those values into Parliament. I think all of the things that we do prior to coming into Parliament are part of the values that we hold."
She said there was "no doubt" that members of Labour spoke to the unions.
"I think what we do prior to coming to Parliament is actually important for us to be held accountable for when we're making decisions, especially ones like this that are going to harm New Zealand."
Labour's health spokesperson Dr Ayesha Verrall last week said there "are screeds of evidence from around the world about how the tobacco industry tries to influence politicians to get the changes they want".
"When we look at this change, where the National Party did not campaign on this, and now is introducing changes that will see more people smoke, we really do have to wonder what is going on."
Asked if she agreed with Boyack's tweet, she said: "It is conjecture, but it is disgusting, so yes, that warrants a vomit emoji."
Repealing smokefree legislation was part of New Zealand First's election manifesto.
The Government's smoking changes have been roundly criticised by health experts as well as Opposition MPs. There have been headlines globally about the Government's planned repeal.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has previously justified the changes by saying the current legislated plan to reduce the number of stores that can sell tobacco would have led to those retailers becoming the target for criminals.
He had to admit on Sunday that it was wrong for the Government to have been saying that Northland would only have one store, when really it will have 35.
On AM on Monday morning, Luxon said he didn't know how many lives could be lost due to the decision to repeal the legislation.
"What we're wanting to do is to continue to actually make sure we lower smoking over the coming years and decades as we have done over the last few," he said.
"Eight percent of New Zealanders now smoke regularly or daily, that's halved over the space of just 10 years... we just don't agree with the Government's policy and the way that it was going to go about it."
