An organisation representing convenience stores says the Government's decision to introduce a ban on the display of tobacco products in shops will force multi-million dollar costs onto an already struggling sector.
Other measures announced by the Government on Thursday included instant fines to retailers caught selling to minors.
The moves came a day after the release of a report from the Maori Affairs select committee calling for New Zealand to be smoke-free by 2025.
Association of Convenience Stores chairman Roger Bull says the ban on tobacco displays will do little to curb smoking but will increase costs as owners are forced to make changes to their stores at a time when retailers are already financially stretched.
Mr Bull says the move also increases the threat of crime, as store owners will face greater threats of assault and robbery when they go to look for tobacco products placed out of sight.
British American Tobacco company says there is no compelling international evidence that a ban on displaying cigarettes will have an impact on smoking rates.
It says the proposals are also likely to advantage larger retail outlets, at the expense of smaller, independent businesses.
The director of the Maori Smokefree Coalition, Shane Kawenata Bradbrook, says the moves are another step forward in de-normalising tobacco products.
And he says plans to make New Zealand smoke-free by 2025 will not help to create an illegal market. Mr Bradbrook says that is just a myth being peddled by a struggling industry.
The changes are to come before Parliament by the end of the year.
