Cigarettes at the local dairy will no longer be in plain sight from today, as a ban on retail displays kicks in.
Stores throughout New Zealand are no longer allowed to have tobacco products visible to members of the public (either inside or outside their premises), or use any retail or trading name signifying that tobacco products are available for sale inside the premises.
However, one shop owner unaffected by the change is Grange Rd Dairy owner Craig Thorburn - he gave up selling cigarettes two months ago.
"It's definitely going on its way out," Mr Thorburn said.
"There are price rises at the end of the year and the way the economy is at the moment, it's going to get real hard for people to afford it and the pool of people (able to afford smoking) is getting small. So it was simple."
He had noticed a change in clientele, for the better, since the move and had received positive feedback from smokers and non-smokers alike. "It just a good business move and we saw cigarettes were not a financially viable option ... for us as a dairy."
Mr Thorburn said the decision came before they were robbed by a masked gunman at the start of the month but he felt cigarettes helped fuel crime like aggravated robberies.
Matua Dairy manager Raj Sawraj, who was preparing for the change yesterday, questioned what impact the change would have. People smoking on the street was more of a temptation for would-be smokers than a display unit inside a store, he said.
Smokers knew their brand and if it was not in stock shopkeepers had been able to recommend an alternative, "but we aren't allowed to do that any more". Instead, retailers like Mr Sawraj will have to refer to a price list of cigarettes they had in stock and let customers come to their own conclusion.
Tobacco products must now be kept hidden behind a standard grey cupboard. Tobacco retailers caught flouting the rules face prosecution and a fine of up to $10,000.
Mr Sawraj said the new rules would not have a dramatic impact on business. Only three to four people daily would refer to the display unit behind the counter but that was because they were looking for the cheapest brand, he said.
His uncle bought the store several months ago and since then they added more cigarette brands to their stock, which had attracted more customers.
"We would have people come in and walk out again, just like that, because we didn't have their brand. When we put on three rows, sales have been up. They come in and stop here now, all the time."
In preparation for the changes, Tauranga retailer Mike Lawrence changed the name of his store, formerly the Big Tobacco Discounter, on the corner of Cameron Rd and 16th Ave, to Puff'n Stuff. The store had also added a coffee bar and an expanded range of giftware.
In a previous article, he referred to the law having gone "way too far" and that "tobacco is picked on so much".
Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia, who is behind the ban, said last year that the law change would remove the "loophole" of tobacco displays.
"Retail displays, innocently positioned alongside everyday confectionery ... are a key component of making cigarettes attractive to recruit young smokers. We're not going to tolerate this any longer," she said.