Dairy owners expressed satisfaction after the new coalition government incorporated their positions on crime and business into the policy platform.
“After years of fighting for small businesses, our advocacy to members of the Coalition Government has got big results for dairies, service stations, liquor stores and hospitality,” said Sunny Kaushal, Chair of the Dairy and Business Owner’s Group Incorporated.
“In Mark Mitchell, we have a Police Minister who’ll walk the talk on the crime emergency with 500 extra Police and the Corrections portfolio. Red tape will be slashed, reducing inflation and interest rates, and we have a Government that’ll trust adults to be adults.”
Kaushal believes that the new government wants to re-energise the country by investing in making the streets safe places to shop and do business.
“If you look across the Tasman, that’s where Labour’s prohibitionist rabbit hole would have taken us. Aussie gangs are using stand-over tactics and arson to intimidate retailers into selling illegal cigarettes and vapes.”
Dairy owners want a smoke-free NZ and market-led solutions to get there. They hope to get the ability to market vapes and need clarity on the smoked tobacco retailer applications, which cost around $1,500 each.
“As the Coalition is now backing highly compliant, law-abiding retailers, in return, we have no issue with much bigger penalties for illegal sale.”
Dairies feel they are part of the solution because of their 330,000 daily smokers customers and are glad to have a government that backs the market and law-abiding retailers.
