The New Zealand government Monday launched a consultation on its plans to ban tobacco company branding on tobacco packages, prompting immediate warnings of opposition from tobacco companies.

The consultation was launched the same day that a new law that came into effect banning the public display of tobacco products in all retail outlets.

Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia said that while tobacco products would no longer be visible in shops, tobacco packaging could still be a powerful marketing tool in the public eye.

"Therefore, smoke-free measures will not stop at display bans," Associate Health Minister Tariana Turia said in a statement.

"Australia has already decided to introduce plain packaging from December this year, which will ensure that tobacco company branding imagery cannot detract from public health messages and images featuring the tragic consequences of smoking."

The government, which announced its proposals for plain packaging in April, would run the consultation until Oct. 5.

"Around 4,500 to 5,000 New Zealanders die each year from their smoking, or exposure to the smoke of others," Turia said.

The government had set a goal for New Zealand to be essentially smoke-free by 2025, and plain packaging was a powerful tool to help achieve that aim.

"There is strong evidence that plain packaging would further reduce the appeal of tobacco products and smoking in general, strengthen the impact of mandated pictorial health warnings, and reduce false perceptions about the harm from tobacco products."

"Plain packaging would help us to meet New Zealand's international commitments under the global tobacco treaty, the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. I am confident that we can bring in a plain packaging regime that would also meet our international trade and investment obligations as well."

British American Tobacco New Zealand (BATNZ) responded by saying Turia's proposals would have "significant unintended consequences."

"This unproven proposal could back-fire on the government by diminishing intellectual property rights; making tobacco more affordable through increased price competition and growing the illegal tobacco market; setting a troubling precedent for other industries and damaging New Zealand's international trade reputation," BATNZ spokesman Nick Booth said in a statement.

"We're strongly opposed to the minister's proposal to remove our branding, our valuable property," Booth said.

"BATNZ trusts that commonsense will prevail with intellectual property rights being protected and looks forward to the consultation process achieving that," said Booth.

The Ministry of Health consultation document said the proposal was to align New Zealand's tobacco packaging laws with Australia, where the plain packaging law comes into effect on Dec. 1.