Wanganui smokers are lining up to quit as the habit becomes more anti-social, says a local smokefree manager. 2013 Census data shows more than 29,000 people in Wanganui and Manawatu smoke regularly, with more women sticking with the habit than men.
Separate figures for Wanganui were unavailable.
Nationally, the adult rate of smoking has dropped to 15 per cent - down from 20.7 per cent in 2006.
The Census counted 463,000 adults who smoked one or more cigarettes a day, compared with 598,000 at the previous Census.
The data does not include people who smoked tobacco in cigars, pipes or cigarillos.
Quitline figures show 556 people in Wanganui registered to stop smoking in the year to June 2013 - down from 756 the previous year.
Whanganui Quit Clinic manager Rosie Carpenter said this year had seen a surge in local people wanting to quit. "Smoking is just not socially acceptable - more and more people are quitting. New Zealand's one of the forward leaders in promoting 'This is not our future'."
Kiwis didn't want smoking in their country anymore, she said. "It used to be very social and now it's not social at all."
Wanganui had traditionally had a high smoking rate because of its low socio-economic standing and Maori population, she said.
The clinic was expecting a surge of activity in February once kids were back at school and people were thinking about their New Year's resolutions.
The Government's official target is that New Zealand will be substantially "smokefree" by 2025, which is generally understood to mean a prevalence of less than 5 per cent. The mid-term target is 10 per cent by 2018.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) spokesman Michael Colhoun welcomed the ongoing reduction in the prevalence of smoking.
"Fifteen per cent is well on track to be hitting that 10 per cent by 2018."
To make sure New Zealand reached the 2025 target, Mr Colhoun urged the Government, in addition to tobacco tax increases, to introduce further measures, such as plain packaging, a ban on smoking in cars containing children and axing duty-free tobacco discounts for travellers.
He also called for registration of tobacco sellers, and increased government control of tobacco ingredients, such as a reduced nicotine level and a ban on additives, including chocolate, that made cigarettes more palatable.
Quitline chief executive Paula Snowden said the drop in the smoking rate was "a monumental shift".
"There are over 135,000 fewer smokers in New Zealand. That's the equivalent of the entire population of Hamilton. We congratulate each and every one of these people who have battled to free themselves of this terrible addiction."
Quitline is particularly pleased to see a steady decline in smoking rates within Maori and Pacific populations. Smoking among Maori has dropped from 42.2 per cent in 2006 to 32.7 per cent in 2013.