Hamilton city retail outlets pass compliance test
Waikato District Health Board’s Population Health staff visited 31 retail premises in Hamilton City this week in a
campaign to stop retailers selling tobacco to people under age.
The premises visited were targeted due to their proximity to secondary schools and had all been recently visited by
Health Protection and Promotion staff at which time the need for identification and age checks was reinforced.
Population Health Smoke-free Enforcement Officer, Nick Young, said staff at all 31 premises visited had followed correct
procedure and refused to sell cigarettes to the 16 year-old volunteer who had been briefed to give their correct age
when asked.
Mr Young will contact by writing those retailers whose staff complied with the legislation to advise them of their
employees’ performance.
Mr Young said that a similar visit in the past had resulted in 7 prosecutions of retail staff for selling tobacco to
minors so it was pleasing to see 100 per cent compliance on this occasion but operations of this nature would be
conducted on an ongoing basis and retailers and their staff needed to ensure they were fully familiar with their
obligations under the act.