Signs up to make parks smokefree

First it was pubs, cars and workplaces, now smoking in parks is being stubbed out.

And the Horowhenua District Council has jumped on the Auahi Kore bandwagon in an attempt to stop children lighting up.

Smokefree signs with messages, such as "Hey, big people, we copy what we see, so keep our playground smokefree", will be put up at 120 parks and sports grounds in the district.

But the ban won't be policed and offenders won't be punished. It's an initiative, not a council bylaw that would attract fines.

Muaupoko Tribal Authority chairman Mahanga Williams said smokefree signs were "positive", but the only way to stop the "filthy habit" was to outlaw cigarettes.

"What we're saying is you can't smoke here, but you can smoke out there ... it's not really a solution."

But the signs would help young ones reject smoking, he said.

At the smokefree launch in Levin yesterday, Marguerite McGuchkin, health promotion adviser for the MidCentral Public Health Unit, said the ban was about "denormalising" smoking for children. "It's about making it a safer environment for our children."

Mayor Brendan Duffy said a sign would not make people quit or prevent kids from starting.

"This is a subliminal message that will hopefully impact on those of us in our community who do smoke, but more importantly to our young people that smoking is not a flash idea," Mr Duffy said.

The council adopted the smokefree initiative in February.

CITY DRAGS ON ACTION

Palmerston North is one of the few places left in the country to allow smoking in parks.

In the past year Tararua, Manawatu and Horowhenua have shunned puffing in public places and introduced smokefree initiatives.

The Palmerston North City Council has less than two months to take advantage of money from various health agencies to pay for smokefree signs, Marguerite McGuchkin, health promotion adviser for the MidCentral Public Health Unit, said.

"They just seem to be really, really slow to come on board ... "

"It's not about a bylaw it's about encouraging and role modelling," she said.

Chief executive Paddy Clifford said council staff were investigating a smokefree initiative and working with MidCentral Health.

"We're working out different options and assessing what's been working and what hasn't been working in other areas."

Once staff had explored all options, they would prepare a report for councillors, Mr Clifford said.

In March last year, the Tararua District Council made swimming pools, council-owned public spaces, parks, sportsgrounds and playgrounds smokefree.

Manawatu District Council started with playgrounds in February, and will put smokefree signs up all through Feilding.

The council is considering getting groups, such as Keep Feilding Beautiful, to count cigarette butts dropped to try to monitor if the signs are working.

- © Fairfax NZ News