Cigarette buyers in New Zealand might soon have to choose from a range of uniform looking packages as the government prepares to introduce "plain packaging" for tobacco products.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia on Thursday announced the cabinet had agreed in principle to introduce a plain packaging regime in alignment with Australia.

However, a public consultation process, involving the health sector and business interests, would be undertaken later this year, she said in a statement.

"Plain packaging has the potential to make a significant to our goal of making New Zealand smoke-free by 2025, alongside our other policies and programs to discourage people from taking up smoking and helping smokers to quit," she said.

"Smoking is the single biggest cause of preventable death and disease in New Zealand, and we must be prepared to take bold steps towards achieving our goal."

The open display of cigarette and tobacco packs in all shops would be banned from July 23, she said.

"Plain packaging is the next step to ensure that once they are in the hands and homes of smokers, the packs don't promote anything other than our serious health warnings and quit messages. "

There were strong arguments for following Australia in stopping tobacco companies from using the design and appearance of their packaging to promote their deadly products, she said.

"I am confident that we can bring in a plain packaging regime that will meet all our international commitments, including a major global treaty on tobacco control as well as a range of multilateral, regional and bilateral trade and investment agreements.

"But we are committed to continuing a careful and robust process to develop the policy before we make final decisions," Turia said.

Final decisions on whether to introduce plain packaging legislation would not be made until after the results of the consultation process have been taken into account.

Turia said the government was determined to reduce death, disease, and huge wider social and economic costs caused by smoking.

Australia's federal government passed its plain packaging law last November, forcing all tobacco products be sold in generic dark green packets , banning tobacco industry logos, brand imagery, colors and any other promotional text.

However, tobacco giants British American Tobacco and JT International (Japan Tobacco International) have challenged the law in the High Court, saying it infringed on intellectual property rights.

The High Court hearing of the case concluded Thursday with the judges reserving their decision.

A New Zealand lobby group, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said there was strong public support for eliminating tobacco branding.

ASH director Ben Youdan told Radio New Zealand that a similar consultation was underway in the United Kingdom.

"Australia has started this trend, and New Zealand is just the next domino to topple," he said.

(Source: Xinhua)