Rotorua's bus shelters, sports grounds and council reserves may now be officially smokefree but those who choose to light up won't be punished.
Rotorua Lakes Council held a ceremony this afternoon to publicise its new non-smoking restrictions, even though they cannot be legally enforced.
The new smokefree zones are part of a two stage plan to increase the number of areas in Rotorua where smoking is being banned - the next stage, to come into force in January next year - will include Eat Streat and outdoor dining areas.
The Rotorua Daily Post visited some of the sites covered by the new ban today and spotted a handful of people puffing on cigarettes, including at the Lakefront and in a bus stop on Arawa St.
An Australian tourist seen smoking at the Lakefront told the Rotorua Daily Post he was unaware of the policy and had not seen any signage saying he could not smoke.
"I had no idea, I'd respect it if I knew.
"But, there are few places, even outside and away from other people, where you can smoke without feeling like an outcast these days."
The council's strategic development manager Rosemary Viskovic said the Smokefree Outdoor Spaces Policy had just been launched and it was expected to take some time to communicate the changes.
She said there was no need to punish people smoking in those areas and educating people about the policy also extended to council staff "for whom we also provide quit support if they want it".
"This is a policy rather than a bylaw and the extension to the policy was approved by council in December last year."
She said the policy had been effective in existing locations, such as playgrounds, and worked because most people who smoked were considerate and did not smoke in proximity to other people, especially children.
"In general, signage indicators to remind people that certain locations are smokefree, and the absence of ashtrays deters smoking in those places.
"There is no need to punish anyone under this policy.
"Members of the public already politely ask people to not smoke in a variety of locations if it is affecting them.
"Society is slowly changing attitudes towards smoking, but this has occurred progressively over many years and this is just one more step in the process."
New smokefree zones launched today:
- All bus stops and shelters
- i-Site and library surrounds, including Jean Batten Park
- All sports grounds
- Rotorua International Stadium
- All youth spaces and skate parks
- All council-controlled reserves and parks including lakefront reserves
Already smokefree:
- Council-managed Tokorangi Forest
- Council-owned playgrounds
- Rotorua Community Youth Centre Trust premises
- Tennis facilities at Lynmore, Okareka and Manuka Crescent
- Child care centres, including kindergartens, playcentres, creches and kohanga reo on council reserve land and immediate surrounds
- Public toilets
- Smallbone Park hockey turfs and Westbrook netball courts
- Rotary Market at Kuirau Park
- Council workplaces
- January 2018 (phase two) smokefree zones to include:
- Outdoor paved eating places
- Eat Streat
- Markets held in the inner city
- Entrances and exits to public buildings and facilities used by the public