Sign of the smokefree times at playgrounds

ID 132452/BARRY HARCOURT

HISTORIC DAY: Invercargill city councillor Geoff Piercy and youth smokefree ambassador Jason Williams unveiling a smokefree sign at Russell Square.

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The Invercargill City Council launched its initiative to stub out smoking in children's playgrounds with the unveiling of smokefree signs at the Russell Square playground yesterday.

The playground was the first park to have the signs but the council plans to spread the message to every playground in the city. Cr Geoff Piercy said it was a historic day for the city and one, as a reformed smoker, he welcomed. "It will be self-policing with parents supporting it and hopefully the message will get through that smoking is not okay," he said.

Youth smokefree ambassador and Aurora College head boy Jason Williams who advocated the stance said it set example for young children. Cancer Society Southland spokeswoman Janice Burton said research showed that children grossly over-estimated how many people smoked.

Studies had shown that fourth formers thought between 50 and 70 per cent of people smoked when the actual proportion was 25 per cent. "This (the signs) is a way of denormalising it."

- © Fairfax NZ News