A cigarette butt representing life before New Zealand's smoke-free laws became effective last year, is being auctioned off online. New Zealand extended its smoke-free laws on Dec. 10, 2004, banning smoking in most indoor venues, sparking complaints from smokers and bar and cafe owners. The cigarette butt was witnessed being smoked at 11:59pm on Dec. 9, 2004 by the owners of an Auckland bar. Bids on the cigarette are currently exceeding $5,400, on the New Zealand-based action site, TradeMe (www. trademe. co. nz). The auction closes Thursday and will reword the top bidder with the butt, a certificate of authenticity, and a mounting case. The partially smoked cigarette was described on the Web site as a "priceless Kiwiana collector's item. "