The Hospitality Association of New Zealand (HANZ) has been opposing the idea of smoke-free bar laws for many years. It has rejected the evidence from countries where smoke-free bar laws have not hurt bar profits, and has actively pushed for the ventilation “solution”.

Since 1998 or before, HANZ’s spokesman Bruce Robertson has been saying that a smoking ban in bars “would have a major negative impact on business”. This is despite acknowledging that as far back as 1996, a survey in Dunedin found smoke was the most common cause of complaints by people who had recently …