Smokefree messages blown off city's parks

A move to make all of Hamilton's parks smokefree was quickly stubbed out, but not before Hamilton City Councillors ignited a fiery debate yesterday.

The smokefree suggestion was presented to the community and environment committee after a request by the Cancer Society, but was criticised as "nonsense" and "nanny state" behaviour by some elected members.

Councillor Gordon Chesterman said some measures around sending out the anti-smoking message should be considered because smoking is "an absolutely filthy habit".

He ended with a light-hearted dig at Councillor Peter Bos, who is a smoker.

Mr Bos refused to be the butt of other councillors' jokes and fired back with: "It is a disgusting habit, but so is over-eating, so leave me alone.

"I'm struggling with this nonsense of this, the stupidity of it.

"This is absolute nonsense; we're not in the business of telling people what to do."

Councillor Dave Macpherson suggested new and replaced park signs could carry the no smoking message, in more of an educational sense than a regulatory one. He said the council should join the anti-smoking movement and accused others around the committee table of the "ostrich with their head in the sand mentality".

Councillor Kay Gregory disagreed. "We should move away from this nanny state stuff and let people take responsibility for themselves."

Councillor Maria Westphal was "very anti-smoking" but bluntly said: "This is not going to work.

"This is not council's role. If people are going to smoke ask Peter Bos they are going to smoke."

The plan to add the no smoking message to park signs, backed by Mr Macpherson and Councillor Joe Di Maio, was defeated.

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