Force, fraud, and coercion.
Who are these smokers who wanted the price to go up? Are they currently in government, namely the Maori Party? This is the dumbest thing you've come up with Key. Has nothing been learned from the past? Smokers, particularly Maori smokers WILL NOT stop, regardless of the price. Maori women have been smoking for centuries - look at those Goldie paintings of kuia with a pipe in their mouth. What do you think they were smoking? Dope? At this rate, it might be cheaper to swap to that, unless they decide to jump on the bandwagon too. All you've done is taken more money off people who are already having a hard time. Smokers will ALWAYS try to find money for tobacco. If it can't be found, wait for it.....either money or tobacco will be STOLEN then we have another problem which is more harmful to more people - burglaries and thefts. Carry on with the graphic TV ads - these work with the young kids but leave us older smokers alone to enjoy our cigarettes. I'm coming off the Maori Electoral Roll. Nothing good has come out of being on there for me. There are better ways to help Maori Tariana. Set up a compulsory parenting course for young Maori parents who have already been dealt with by CYFS so we learn how to be good parents and stop killing our babies. Bring back Trade Training for everyone who completes secondary school and doesn't have a job. You'll find most of these will be young Maori youth - the ones who are our biggest risk. They need something to do instead of loafing around and probably holding up some innocent shopkeetper to steal cigarettes.
If somehow it was possible to not get public health care, and instead all your tax revenue went to private health care...I just don't believe you'd get a better deal.