New Zealand: Wellington expands tobacco- and vaping-free areas

Wellington City Council is expanding its smoke-free and vape-free spaces in public outdoor hospitality and dining venues (bars, restaurants, picnic areas) in preparation for Smokefree Aotearoa 2025[1].

From March 2023, all outdoor dining venues, public land and council-owned land will become smoke- and vape-free. This ban will join the city’s many smoke-free venues, which include beaches, playgrounds, bus stops and sports grounds.

Health MP Helen Jones says the move reflects Wellington's contribution to the current national movement. She says the approach is educational, positively encouraging smoke-free and vaping-free zones and demonstrating the social, health and environmental benefits of the ban.

New Zealand's drop in smoking rates in the general population to 8% places the country among the lowest prevalence rates in the world and the country is on track to achieve its tobacco-free generation goal on time.

Smoke-free spaces, an effective measure to achieve a smoke-free generation

The Government has set a target of achieving a tobacco-free generation by 2025. One way to achieve this is to make more community spaces smoke-free. New Zealand was one of the first countries in the world to ban smoking in hospitality and food service settings. Bars, restaurants, cafes, casinos and clubs have been smoke-free since the Smokefree Environments Act 2004. The Government passed the Smokefree and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act 2020 and amended the previous Smokefree Environments Act 1990 to include all vaping products and all tobacco products, including smokeless ones, in the scope of the ban.

To denormalize smoking, protect against passive smoking and preserve the environment from the many wastes resulting from tobacco consumption and vaping products, the establishment of smoke-free/vaping-free spaces is an effective measure and a possible intervention method for cities to actively contribute to the fight against smoking. In fact, more and more cities around the world are successfully implementing smoke-free environments.

In the Netherlands, 98 % municipalities (344 out of 352, as of March 2022) have equipped themselves with multiple outdoor smoke-free areas. These have been deployed, as a priority, around schools, children's playgrounds and sports facilities. But they also concern bus shelters and municipal buildings.[2].

A similar situation can be found in many French municipalities. Some cities are going even further in their ambition to improve the health, well-being and quality of life of their residents by committing to the project of a " free city without tobacco » by implementing a set of measures to reduce and prevent smoking, including the development of smoke-free public spaces.

Keywords: New Zealand, smoke-free spaces, denormalization, smoke-free generation, smoke-free cities

©Tobacco Free Generation

AE

[1] Vita Molyneux, Clearing the air: Wellington City Council to ban smoking, vaping outside hospitality venues, New-Zealand Herald, published December 2, 2022, accessed December 9, 2022

[2] Generation without tobacco, Success of tobacco-free spaces in the Netherlands, published on November 23, 2022, consulted on December 9, 2022