Carterton smoking ban up for debate | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

Smokers could be banned from Carterton's recreational areas, including parks, pools and sports fields if a proposal from the Wairarapa Smoke Free group is accepted.

The call is to be discussed at next month's Carterton District Council operations committee meeting, the full council decided yesterday.

A letter from Gaye Rowberry, manager of the Wairarapa Cancer Centre on behalf of the Wairarapa Smoke Free group, asked that Carterton District Council consider making recreational areas smoke free.

At the full council meeting, councillors decided to refer the suggestion of a Smokefree Policy to next month's operations committee meeting after a recommendation from mayor Gary McPhee.

He said he asked council support services manager Julie Hallam whether anything of the kind had been done in Carterton before and she said no.

"It's something that could be taken forward to operations, probably, if we are all in agreement," Mr McPhee said.

The Smoke Free Group includes representatives from the District Health Board, the Primary Health Organisation, the Heart Foundation, Wairarapa Cancer Society, Whairoa Whanui, Plunket and Sport Wairarapa. Mrs Rowberry's letter said South Taranaki District Council developed a Smokefree Environments Policy in May 2005, becoming the first council in New Zealand to do so, and erected signs later that year to discourage smoking in playgrounds, swimming pools and parks. Council events in South Taranaki parks are now consistently promoted as smoke free events, with promotional material for events in the park indicating that the venue is smoke-free.

"The council has not reported any difficulties enforcing the ban and sees its role as one of leadership and positive role modelling."

South Wairarapa last year agreed to ban smoking at playgrounds, but chose not to apply the ban to sports fields, which was "a little disappointing", Mrs Rowberry said.

Upper Hutt City Council last year banned smoking in parks, reserves, playgrounds and sports fields.

Smokefree advocates recently attended a Masterton District Council committee meeting to push their message.

Mrs Rowberry said local councils were in a unique position given their ability to communicate directly with communities and play a vital role in normalising the smoke free message and providing supportive environments for people to quit.

Where policies had been implemented locally there had generally been no need for enforcement, she said, with the focus being on public education.