While we will never know exactly what or who influenced David Seymour and Winston Peters, we do know that two former high-ranking NZ First officials, David Broome and Apirana Dawson, now work for tobacco giant Philip Morris. We know that Shane Jones invited Dawson to the Government’s swearing-in ceremony, and “took soundings” from him when developing policy.
We know that Costello used to chair the Taxpayers’ Union, a lobby group that has taken vehemently pro-tobacco-industry positions without disclosing that it receives money from British American Tobacco, one of the worst of the merchants of death.
By Max Rashbrooke for The Post