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Prime Minister John Key confirmed on Monday that the Maori Party has asked the Government to take tough action against smoking.
He said suggestions put up by the party have not yet been considered in detail, but ministers are not rejecting them out of hand.
"It revolves around their genuine desire to see an increase in the price ... their real concern is that a large proportion of Maori are smoking," Key said at his post-cabinet press conference.
"If you want to reduce peoples' appetite to take up smoking, it seems that academic evidence shows that price is the most effective way of doing that.
"That is certainly one of the ambitions of the Government."
The Maori Party wants a big increase in the price of cigarettes and tobacco and a ban on retail displays.
Maori Party co-leader Tariana Turia was "in talks with other ministers about a number of tobacco issues", a party spokesman said at the weekend.
A ban on retail displays was recently ruled out by the Government.
Labour MP Iain Lees-Galloway has submitted a member's bill which would do that, but it is not currently under parliamentary consideration.
Maori MP Hone Harawira is pushing for the Maori affairs select committee to launch an inquiry into Maori and tobacco.
He has said he wants to "bring these bastards from the tobacco companies out in the open".
Maori smoking rates are among the highest in the world.
Tobacco company representatives should have to front up, Harawira said.
