烟草在线据《每日电讯报》报道编译　　新西兰最大的卷烟生产商已完成了一项花费4500万新西兰元（3500万澳元）的升级工作，升级完成后，向澳大利亚的卷烟出口量将是原来的四倍之多。

　　位于惠灵顿北部佩托尼的帝国烟草工厂的扩建工作历时超过18个月，还新增了高科技设备，其中包括一台每分钟能生产多达8000支卷烟的卷烟机。

　　该厂每年将生产30多亿支的卷烟和700吨的手卷烟。

　　工厂的升级工作是在帝国烟草新西兰公司赢得向澳大利亚市场供应卷烟的投标后开始进行的。

　　该合约以前由位于悉尼的英美烟草公司获得。

　　新西兰癌症协会对工厂的升级和下哈特市长雷·华莱士（Ray Wallace）在8月6日正式公开工厂扩张的决定提出了批评。

　　“从长远来看，我们认为这将更不利于社区和新西兰的发展，”癌症协会发言人斯凯·木村（Skye Kimura）对澳大利亚联合新闻社（AAP）称。

　　“考虑到议会已实施了那么多的无烟政策，对于华莱士先生支持该工厂扩张的做法，我感到十分吃惊。”

　　华莱士市长本人不吸烟，不过他对《费尔法克斯报》称，他把吸烟看作是一种个人选择的行为，而且他将继续支持在该市投资的合法生意。

　　“今天（8月6日）在这里，我作为市长，支持本市最大的纳税人之一和最大的雇主之一的帝国烟草新西兰公司，”华莱士先生说。

　　吸烟与健康行动组织（ASH）主管Ben Youdan此前曾向澳大利亚联合新闻社称，新西兰人可能要对相当多因吸烟死亡的澳大利亚人负责。

　　他称，生产出来的卷烟将被大约10万澳大利亚人吸掉，其中约一半人将因吸烟而过早死亡。

　　自1929年以来，帝国烟草的佩托尼工厂一直是烟草公司的卷烟生产基地。在帝国烟草于1999年接管以前，该工厂归英美烟草公司所有。

　　该厂雇佣了大约200位员工。

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