Any suggestions the tobacco industry was involved in the controversy were unfounded, Casey Costello says. Photo: Mark Mitchell / NZ Herald
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello is doubling down on comments that she didn't write notes asking for information on pausing excise tax on tobacco products, telling Newstalk ZB she has done nothing wrong.
On Thursday RNZ revealed notes that the New Zealand First MP sent to health officials on reforming smoke free laws make it clear that a proposed freeze on excise tax for tobacco came from her office.
Costello refused to do an interview with RNZ's Morning Report on Friday.
She told Newstalk ZB her office had gathered a range of policies, campaign positions and statements the party had made on the topic of tobacco in the past.
Costello acknowledged there was a line in a document from last year about removing excise tax for three years.
But she said still doesn't know who collated it.
"That's what we've been trying to find out, we're not sure who in the office put it on my desk.... we've got staff extracting a whole lot of ideas, from previous NZ First policy, campaign statements, when the legislation was previously being debated when NZ First was in parliament."
Any suggestions the tobacco industry was involved in this were unfounded, she added.
"There's no involvement from big tobacco, it's just nonsense; otherwise the docúment wouldn't include a bullet point about what's the best way to kill big tobacco."
Costello said she had "some sympathy" for smokers.
"I have messages from people who know they need to stop smoking, but they're addicted and they're going without food because they're addicted. I'm trying to find practical steps, because prohibition isn't the cure [for an addiction]."
She said there were now fewer than 300,000 daily smokers.
"They are addicted. Of all the things we've tried, the most successful is vaping, so let's look at a range of options that would help people quit smoking."
Costello confirmed she had links to the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union, but insisted "hand-on-heart" she had no association with the tobacco industry nor had she received funding from them.