煙草在線據《每日電訊報》報道編譯　　新西蘭最大的卷煙生產商已完成了一項花費4500萬新西蘭元（3500萬澳元）的升級工作，升級完成后，向澳大利亞的卷煙出口量將是原來的四倍之多。

　　位于惠靈頓北部佩托尼的帝國煙草工廠的擴建工作歷時超過18個月，還新增了高科技設備，其中包括一臺每分鐘能生產多達8000支卷煙的卷煙機。

　　該廠每年將生產30多億支的卷煙和700噸的手卷煙。

　　工廠的升級工作是在帝國煙草新西蘭公司贏得向澳大利亞市場供應卷煙的投標后開始進行的。

　　該合約以前由位于悉尼的英美煙草公司獲得。

　　新西蘭癌癥協會對工廠的升級和下哈特市長雷·華萊士（Ray Wallace）在8月6日正式公開工廠擴張的決定提出了批評。

　　“從長遠來看，我們認為這將更不利于社區和新西蘭的發展，”癌癥協會發言人斯凱·木村（Skye Kimura）對澳大利亞聯合新聞社（AAP）稱。

　　“考慮到議會已實施了那么多的無煙政策，對于華萊士先生支持該工廠擴張的做法，我感到十分吃驚。”

　　華萊士市長本人不吸煙，不過他對《費爾法克斯報》稱，他把吸煙看作是一種個人選擇的行為，而且他將繼續支持在該市投資的合法生意。

　　“今天（8月6日）在這里，我作為市長，支持本市最大的納稅人之一和最大的雇主之一的帝國煙草新西蘭公司，”華萊士先生說。

　　吸煙與健康行動組織（ASH）主管Ben Youdan此前曾向澳大利亞聯合新聞社稱，新西蘭人可能要對相當多因吸煙死亡的澳大利亞人負責。

　　他稱，生產出來的卷煙將被大約10萬澳大利亞人吸掉，其中約一半人將因吸煙而過早死亡。

　　自1929年以來，帝國煙草的佩托尼工廠一直是煙草公司的卷煙生產基地。在帝國煙草于1999年接管以前，該工廠歸英美煙草公司所有。

　　該廠雇傭了大約200位員工。

New Zealand: NZ Boosts Australia Tobacco Exports

　　NEW Zealand's largest tobacco manufacturer has finished a $NZ45 million ($A35 million) upgrade which will quadruple its exports to Australia.

　　The expansion to Imperial Tobacco's factory in Petone, north of Wellington, took more than 18 months and includes the addition of hi-tech equipment including a machine which can produce up to 8000 cigarettes a minute.

　　More than three billion cigarettes and 700 tonnes of roll-your-own tobacco will be manufactured at the plant.

　　The upgrade took place after Imperial Tobacco New Zealand won a worldwide tender to supply the Australian market.

　　The contract was previously held by British American Tobacco in Sydney.

　　The New Zealand Cancer Society has criticised the upgrade and the decision by Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace to officially open the expansion on Monday.

　　"We believe long term that this is going to be more detrimental to the community and New Zealand," spokeswoman Skye Kimura told AAP.

　　"It surprises me that he [Mr Wallace] would support this given the council has adopted so many smoke-free policies."

　　The mayor, who does not smoke, told Fairfax he saw smoking as a personal choice and he would support legitimate businesses that invested in the city.

　　"I'm here today as mayor to support one of our largest ratepayers, one of our biggest employers in this city," Mr Wallace said.

　　Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) director Ben Youdan earlier told AAP that New Zealanders could be taking responsibility for a considerable number of deaths in Australia.

　　The cigarettes would be smoked by about 100,000 Australians, about half of whom would die prematurely from tobacco, he said.

　　Imperial Tobacco's Petone site has been home to tobacco companies since 1929. It was owned by British American Tobacco before Imperial took it over in 1999.

　　The factory employs about 200 people. Enditem