Smokefree New Zealand Starts on Friday
New Zealand joins Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and Bhutan with clean indoor air

Parts excerpted from the Dow Jones Newswire, 12/8/04

On Friday, December 10, New Zealand will become the fifth country to implement 
smokefree workplace legislation, joining Ireland, Norway, Sweden, and Bhutan. 
New Zealand's law requires clean indoor air for all workers, including office, 
restaurant, bar, and casino workers.

Bruce Robertson, chief executive of the Hospitality Association of New Zealand, 
says he does not expect a significant financial impact.  "Most of the leisure 
industry is ready for the change," Robertson said.
Indeed, research conducted three years ago by local lobby groups, found that 
clearing the air in restaurants and bars would be unlikely to harm revenues from 
overseas tourists.  Many such visitors are from countries such as Australia and 
the U.S. where smokefree workplace laws have already been implemented, the 
research stated.

Auckland-based casino giant Sky City Entertainment Group which dominates New 
Zealand's $2 billion gaming industry says it is "fully prepared" to meet the new 
smokefree legislation.  "We've had a long enough lead-time, so we are as fully 
prepared as can be reasonably expected," said Sky City Chief Executive Evan 
Davies.

Stephen Wright, a financial analyst at ASB Securities, agreed, adding that 
investors don't expect to see a big dent in Sky City's revenues.  "Statistics 
will show that in the longer term it probably won't make that much of a 
difference," Wright said.
Joe Cherner, founder of BREATHE (Bar and Restaurant Employees Advocating 
Together for a Healthy Environment), has advocated for clean air in localities 
worldwide.  "As smokefree workplace laws become the norm, people recognize that 
smokefree workplace legislation is nothing more than a matter of respect and 
dignity for workers," he said.

New Zealand's legislation, which had been debated for more than three years, was 
passed into law late last year and gave employers one year to comply.  New 
Zealand's concerted march toward clean indoor air comes to fruition on Friday.