Ex Phillp Morris tobacco lobbyist Chris Bishop caught out this morning on Q&A repeating several times for emphasis, the lie that under Smokefree 2025 there would only be ONE tobacco outlet for the whole of Northland so it would have to be guarded like Fort Knox.

Jack Tame produces the Ministry of Health Smokefree plan published last September for 600 outlets throughout NZ taking into account population & distance to travel & allowing for 35 outlets for Northland with all their locations.

Jack Tame to Chris - Why do you & Chris Luxon keep repeating 1 outlet, when the document specifies 35 locations in Northland ?

Chris Bishop - That's my understanding.

Jack Tame - so where did you get that understanding from ?

Chris Bishop won't answer & deflects.

After all the controversy & heat coming on the govt over repealing Smokefree 2025 I don't believe there's a level of incompetence that he wouldn't have been informed by staff the numbers & locations have been in the public domain for a couple of months.
Govt's hardly been sworn in & their playing fast & loose with facts again.
Still seem to be in campaign mode rather than behaving like a govt.