New Zealand

Smokefree legislation/initiatives

New Zealand became 100% smokefree in 2004. The Smokefree Environments Amendment Act 2003 prohibited smoking in schools and early childhood centres from 1 January 2004. From 10 December 2004 all indoor workplaces and hospitality centres (including bars, restaurants, cafés and casinos) became smokefree. Designated smoking rooms are not allowed.

Future priorities are:
Creating smokefree environments at home and in cars – through education rather than legislation
Introducing a five-metre law so that smokers smoke away from entrances to smokefree venues
Creating certain smokefree outdoor areas, such as beaches, parks and tourist locations – through local rather than national legislation
A survey published in early 2009 found high levels of support for extending smokefree legislation to outdoor eating areas (78%) and council playgrounds (68%). (GL NIMI 20 March 2009).

Preparation for smokefree legislation

The campaign for smokefree legislation was driven by a strong and coordinated NGO sector, strong government support and a continual need to counteract negative comments about potential damage to the hospitality industry.

‘Going smokefree in New Zealand: lessons from battlefield’ is a key document published by ASH New Zealand in May 2006. It describes the strategies used by supporters of smokefree legislation to neutralise objections from the hospitality industry. It shows to how provide counterarguments to generate public support for legislation. www.ash.org.nz/pdf/goingsmokefreeinNZ.pdf

Enforcement and compliance

Compliance was high in first year of ban (97%). Some pub owners defiant and some prosecutions are pending.
The smoke is clearing – one-year anniversary report on the impact of smokefree legislation. www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/wpg_Index/About-smokefreelaw-research

Smokefree Laws in New Zealand – Frequently Asked Questions – Part 3: Enforcement Powers
www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/wpg_index/About-smokefreelaw-faqs-enforcement

Smokefree resources available in 2009

ASH New Zealand www.ash.org.nz
New Zealand Ministry of Health www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/wpg_Index/About-smokefreelaw-research

stop

Pages

quit cigs

Archives

Famous quotes

The only ’safer’ cigarette is your last one.
Duane Alan Hahn .................................
You own yourself, so if you want to do something that destroys yourself, go ahead. Just don’t harm others when you do.
Jim Goebel .................................
To see what is right, and not do it, is want of courage, or of principle.
Confucius .................................
If you resolve to give up smoking, drinking and loving, you don’t actually live longer; it just seems longer.
Clement Freud .................................
Smoking is a custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless.
King James I of England .................................
Smoking kills. If you’re killed, you’ve lost a very important part of your life.
Brooke Shields .................................
I’ll tell you why I like the cigarette business. It cost a penny to make. Sell it for a dollar. It’s addictive. And there’s a fantastic brand loyalty.
Warren Buffett .................................
If you resolve to give up smoking, drinking and loving, you don’t actually live longer; it just seems longer.
Clement Freud .................................
Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I’ve done it thousands of times.
Mark Twain
quit