Fight for plain packaged ciggies expected to ramp up

The fight for plain packaging of tobacco products in New Zealand is expected to ramp up a notch.

It follows the High Court decision in Australia that the Gillard government's world-first plain packaging laws are constitutionally valid.

Marewa Glover of the Auckland University Tobacco Control Research Centre is welcoming the move.

She says packaging is a powerful element in the sale of cigarettes.

"People carry it round and they leave it on tables and they display it, they also drop them all over the ground. It is important that form of advertising is removed."

Meanwhile in Australia it's one victory over tobacco companies down, but two more to go.

Auckland University professor Jane Kelsey says yesterday's High Court decision backing Australia's move towards banning graphic cigarette packaging, will have no bearing on other potentially potent legal challenges to its moves.

"The cases that are going on off shore one in the World Trade organisation and one under an investment agreement are separate completely from what happened in the Australian court."

Ms Kelsey says while many of the arguments will be similar, yesterday's case has no bearing on them at all.