The Government has stepped in after it was revealed police have intentionally not been enforcing a law banning smoking and vaping in cars carrying children. 

NZME can reveal not a single fine has been issued since the law came into force in 2021, with police saying fines are punitive and unlikely to work. 

It can also be revealed police never carried out the necessary system upgrades to issue fines, despite Parliament delaying the law coming into force for 18 months to allow for the updates. 

The law was passed by the Labour-led coalition in 2020 with support from National. It allowed officers to use their discretion to issue $50 spot fines. 

Police Minister Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking that the Police’s advice to the Police Minister at the time the law was passed was that the system couldn’t sustain the change. 

He said that Police are now making the changes to the systems so that fines can be issued. 

Labour’s Ginny Andersen said that from her understanding, while they knew the Police couldn’t implement it immediately there was a plan to do so over time that the Government was happy with. 

She said she’s pleased that Mitchell is enforcing it and taking a stand, as the current Government has been very permissive around smoking by letting Smoke Free go. 

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