Britain Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's plan has angered some members of his governing Conservative Party.
The Prime Minister ignored advice from senior health officials.
Estimates suggest the repeal will bring in $1.5 billion more in smoking revenue.
"I don't think anyone in this house would be any the wiser as to exactly what it is the minister has just corrected," Hipkins responded.
Smoking remains the greatest preventable cause of death among Māori, the experts say.
The Prime Minister is confident everyone in his team is sticking by the rules.
"It just really speaks to the influence of the tobacco industry on our political leadership."
"This is not evidence-informed policymaking, it looks like ideology."
The Prime Minister told AM it will be "hard to manage" discriminating between a 35 and 36-year-old in the future about who can or can't smoke.
