Napier and Hastings councils to choke the smoke

Napier and Hastings councils are tightening their joint anti-smoking/vaping policy as they embrace central government's Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 programme.

Hastings District and Napier City Councils introduced a joint Smokefree Policy in 2015.

The programme's goal is that by 2025, less than five per cent of New Zealanders will be smokers.

Napier Mayor Kirsten Wise said the main change to the bylaw was the inclusion of pedestrian laneways and vaping.

The new rules follow community consultation, and are expected to be in place in both cities by the beginning of next year.

Under the policy all council-managed urban parks, sportsgrounds, playgrounds and reserves would be smokefree/vapefree, excluding beach reserves.

Also smokefree/vapefree would be hospitality areas on public land and council-owned tables in public areas.

Public events receiving council funding would be required to support smokefree/vapefree messages.

Council-owned premises will have a 10m rule from public entrances, which could drive smokers/vapers to cross the road from council-owned premises such as the Napier Municipal Theatre or Hastings' Hawke's Bay Opera House.

Also with a 10m perimeter would be bus stops and playgrounds not inside a smokefree/vapefree area.

Vaping will be forbidden on Napier and Hastings council-managed sportsgrounds under a reviewed anti-smoking policy due next year. Photo / Patrick O'Sullivan

"Providing a healthy environment and spaces for our community very much sits within our role," Wise said.

Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said the tightened policy was a community response to a community issue.

"Five thousand New Zealanders die every year from smoke-related injuries and illnesses," she said.

"We need to bring our community with us, make good role models, and set good examples that smoking is not okay."

She said central government could not carry out the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 programme on its own.

"They can set policy, but it takes communities to implement policy and bring about change."

There are no consequences for breaking the policy other than community pressure, which Wise said was already in place.

"Because there's a number of people in our community that are quite passionate about ensuring these safe spaces for our tamariki, our rangatahi, it does work - the self-policing is very effective," she said.

Parents and adults are quite happy to actually go and just politely ask, 'Would you mind not doing that?'

"There's no expectation that anyone should ever put themselves at risk."

The policy is due to be reviewed again in three years' time.