For years, New Zealand’s Cancer Society and the Ministry of Health have been at odds over smoking lounge in SkyCity’s VIP area. Now, the Cancer Society has enlisted in Justice John Hansen to decide whether smoking should be permitted in the area once and for all.
The Diamond Lounge is considered an open area, allowing patrons to smoke, but the Cancer Society does not agree with this definition. Last year, the Ministry of Health sent investigators to determine just how open the space was, and it was deemed an open enough space to permit smoking. Representatives of the Cancer Society continued to disagree, and have decided to take the issue to court.
According to Duncan Webb of the Cancer Society, the Ministry of Health made “a fundamental error in the investigative process.” As such, the organization wants a second opinion.
Justice Hansen will offer up his take on the issue. His decision will provide the final conclusion for the case. The Cancer Society has fought long and hard to have the smoking ban exemption removed, and this will be the organization’s last chance to prove that the Diamond Lounge should be a smoke-free area.
