Philip Morris Funds N. Zealand Education Program (fwd)

[Robert Weissman <rob@essential.org>]

                           New Zealand news from The Press - January 20, 1999 

                                         Concern at tobacco firm's
                                         kits

                                             AUCKLAND -- Plans by
international tobacco giant Philip
                                         Morris to introduce education packs
in New Zealand schools,
                                         telling children to make their own
decisions in life, have upset
                                         anti-smoking groups. 

                                         The free packs, which have already
                                         been launched in Australia, cannot
                                         by law carry Philip Morris's name. 

                                         They do not promote smoking, but
                                         there is mention of smoking in the
                                         context of adult activities that might
                                         be harmful. 

                                         The material is expected to be
trialed in Year Seven to Nine (Form
                                         One to Three) classrooms in
Auckland and Wellington in the
                                         coming term. 

                                         However, Smokefree Coalition
director Barbara Langford said
                                         that having a tobacco company
contribute to the health
                                         education of New Zealand children
was "outrageous". 

                                         "Schools won't know the origin of
the packs and that's one of
                                         the insidious elements of the
programme," she said. 

                                         "It's all part of the public
relations exercise that Philip Morris
                                         have internationally to promote
themselves as a responsible
                                         company, which is hypocrisy at its
worst." 

                                         Ms Langford said the coalition had
raised the issue with the
                                         Education Ministry, which replied
that schools were free to make
                                         their own choices about material
that supported the curriculum. 

                                         She said her organisation would
tell schools about the origins of
                                         the packs, so there can be informed
debate about whether to use
                                         them. 

                                         A spokeswoman for Philip Morris
(New Zealand) Ltd directed
                                         inquiries about the packs to
Australia. 

                                         Melbourne education consultant Dr
Kevin Donnelly, who was
                                         hired to design the programme, said
Philip Morris was merely
                                         financing the project and had no
other control. 

                                         His company, Education Strategies,
had run discussion groups
                                         and trials in Australia, he said.
While Australian anti-tobacco
                                         groups had condemned Philip Morris,
about 1500 schools had
                                         asked for the packs. 

                                         "Philip Morris is genuinely
interested in putting a quality
                                         programme into schools to empower
people, but they have been
                                         criticised," he said. 

                                         "In reality, they are damned if
they do and damned if they don't,
                                         when they should be congratulated." 

                                         However, Labour education spokesman
Trevor Mallard urged
                                         the Government to recommend that
schools reject the packs. He
                                         said the matter should be treated
seriously. 

                                         He described Philip Morris's move
as a "sneaky" marketing
                                         technique to increase the number of
people smoking in the long
                                         term. 

                                         "To accept material from a tobacco
company goes against the
                                         hard decisions we have taken to try
and wipe out smoking for
                                         the good of our nation's health,"
he said. -- NZPA