Plain tobacco packaging referred to the Health Committee for consideration which reported it back to Parliament with minor amendments on 11 August 2014 including a change in title from ‘Plain Packaging’ to ‘Standardised Packaging’. The Bill was stalled due to concern over legal action against the Australian government’s plain packaging regime. However, in February 2016, Prime Minister John Key commented that there was now firm legal ground for plain packaging and that the measure could become law by the end of 2016. On 30 June 2016, the Bill was given its second reading with consideration by the Committee of the Whole House on
Plain tobacco packaging 23 August 2016 and the third and final reading on 8 September 2016. On 31 May 2016, (World No Tobacco Day) the Associate Minister of Health, Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga, released a consultation document on the detail of standardised packaging requirements. An Order in Council was issued on 6 June 2017, making the Smoke-free Environments Regulations 2017 specifying detailed requirements for the standardised design of tobacco packages and products, and also specifying requirements for new and larger warning messages for tobacco packaging. These Regulations came into force on 14 March 2018 and since the 6 June 2018, only standardised packages have