Ministers, including the Prime Minister, repeatedly insisted that the Labour government's smoke free legislation would increase tobacco-related crime, despite officials telling them it could have the opposite effect.
The laws, which were passed by the previous government and scrapped last month, would have slashed the number of tobacco retailers, removed most of the nicotine from cigarettes and banned tobacco sales to anyone born in 2009 or later.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Health Minister Shane Reti have repeatedly told reporters that the legislation would drive up ram raids and grow the tobacco black market.
But emails obtained by shadow health minister Ayesha Verrall show those claims were at odds with some of the advice provided by officials to ministers' offices.
Reporter Kate Newton spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
