MP wants to smoke out tobacco bosses

Maori Party MP Hone Harawira wants tobacco company executives to front up at an inquiry into the industry, despite his threats to lynch them.

Mr Harawira announced yesterday the Maori Affairs parliamentary select committee would hold an inquiry into the impact of tobacco use on Maori.

The committee would talk to "everybody, before we get to the tobacco companies", he said.

There was a "very clear public record" of the serious negative effects of tobacco and the companies selling it must front up to the public, he said.

The inquiry would require the New Zealand-based chairpeople and chief executives, not spin doctors, to be involved.

Select committees are able to ask the Speaker of the House to summons people to appear. It is very rare for a Speaker to do so. The Speaker must be convinced that all other avenues have been pursued first.

If someone is summonsed and does not appear they can be charged with Contempt of the House, punishment ranging from imprisonment to the requirement of an apology.

Mr Harawira said he wanted to put the tobacco companies under the spotlight "finally".

"To be brutally frank I'd like to lynch these bastards.

"This is a war against people who kill New Zealanders ... I don't particularly give a shit about what they say [in their defence]."

The inquiry wanted to increase public pressure for a ban on the sale of tobacco. Eighty per cent of smokers wanted to quit, Mr Harawira said.

"And 80 per cent of the other 20 per cent want to quit too ... they just don't want to admit it."

Banning tobacco sales was different to prohibition because people wanted it and there was unlikely to be a huge increase in black market operations, he said.

There would also need to be a system to help people overcome their addiction.

Maori Party co-leader and Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia said a ban would be difficult but displays should be outlawed and tax on tobacco raised.

"I'm already talking to the Government about those matters ... I think we're progressing."

The announcement of the inquiry follows figures released to the committee yesterday by the Ministry of Health showing Maori women have the highest smoking prevalence (49.3 per cent) followed by Maori men (41.5 per cent).

Young Maori were more likely to smoke and second-hand smoke exposure was higher among Maori than non-Maori.

Shane Bradbrook, Te Reo Marama director, said it was time for the tobacco industry to be accountable.

There was no other industry operating in New Zealand or internationally that killed so many people and Maori were suffering out of proportion, he said.

Labour leader Phil Goff said society needed to do everything it could to discourage the promotion of a product that takes "lives in thousands" every year.

A ban would not work but stopping advertising would help, he said.

- NZPA