. /.   WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION  G/TBT/N/NZL/31 
20 December 2006 
 (06-6104) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:   English 
  
 
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   NEW ZEALAND
 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):         
2. Agency responsible:    Ministry of Health 
P O Box 5013 Wellington NEW ZEALAND 
Telephone: (+64) 4 496 2000 
Fax:  (+64) 4 816 2191 E-mail: brendon_baker@moh.govt.nz  john_stribling@moh.govt.nz 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, e-mail and web-site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:         
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:         
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff heading. 
ICS numbers may be provided in  addition, where applicable):   Health warnings and 
health messages on tobacco product packaging. 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Amendments to the 
Smoke-free Environments Regulations 1999: Pictorial Health Warnings on Tobacco 
Products. 
6. Description of content:   Cabinet has approved the amending of the Smoke-free 
Environments Regulations 1999 to provide for larger pictorial health warnings on tobacco 
packaging – cigarettes, loose and pipe to bacco, cigars and other tobacco products. 
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
Research and two rounds of public consultation have been undertaken by the Ministry of 
Health in order to decide how best to in form smokers and potential smokers about the 
serious risks associated with smoking.  Larger , pictorial warnings with explanatory text 
were found to be the most effective m echanism for conveying these messages and of 
encouraging behavioural change. 
8. Relevant documents:    
1. Smoke-free Environments Regulations 1999  – these require text-only health warnings and 
messages on tobacco products.  In the case of manufactured cigarettes the warnings take up 25% of the front and 33.3% of the rear of the pack. G/TBT/N/NZL/31 
Page 2  
 
  2. Review of the Smoke-free Environments Regulations 1999:  Labelling of tobacco 
products, tobacco product content regulation, disclosure by tobacco companies, regulation 
of product descriptors , Consultation Document July 2004 
3. Review of the Smoke-free Environments Re gulations 1999: Health warnings on tobacco 
products , Consultation Document, May 2006 
The consultation documents, the analyses of submissions and other re levant documents are 
available for download at: 
http://www.ndp.govt.nz/tobacco/smokefreee nvironments/reviewofregulations.html 
9. Proposed date of adoption:   
 
 Proposed date of entry into force:    By 27 February 2007 (Amended regulations 
giving effect to the Cabinet decisions are being drafted) 
By 27 February 2008 
10. Final date for comments:   13 February 2007 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers, e-mail and web-site addresses, if available of the other body:   
The consultation documents, the analyses of submissions and other re levant documents are 
available for download at: 
http://www.ndp.govt.nz/tobacco/smokefreee nvironments/reviewofregulations.html