Cigarettes sold to girl

Photo / File

A Wairoa tobacco retailer sales person has been fined $500 for selling cigarettes to a 13-year-old girl in a Hawke's Bay District Health Board sting.

In a covert operation earlier this month, at Fosters Service Station near Mahia, the volunteer was not asked her age. It is an offence under the Smoke Free Environment Act to sell tobacco products to a person less than 18 years.

"The 13 year-old volunteer was briefed to give her correct age if asked," Smokefree officer Theresa Te Whaiti said.

Evidence from the operation was sent to the Ministry of Health and the seller as an individual issued with a $500 instant fine. Companies can be fined up to $10,000.

The other 11 retailers in the operation were compliant, Mrs Te Whaiti said.

It is only the second time an infringement fine has been issued in the Hawke's Bay area since the Act was amended in 2011.

"We will continue controlled purchase operations, so employers should ensure that they and their staff understand their obligations."

A Cancer Society study released last year found one third of minors accessed cigarettes from commercial sources.