Smokefree - no butts about it

Kaipara residents are either smoking less or taking their cigarettes in private, a recent clean-up of Kaipara playgrounds suggests.  6-months after Kaipara District Council declared playgrounds smokefree there has been a 63 per cent drop in the number of cigarette butts collected from playgrounds.

Northland DHB Smokefree Coordinator counted 133 cigarette butts in four playgrounds - Riverside Garden, Ruawai, Tinopai and Wood Street Mangawai in May 2009 compared with 361 counted in November last year.

The collection aimed to measure the success of smokefree playgrounds, which came into effect in 27 November 2008.

"The number of cigarette butts collected is down by nearly two thirds, it is great news," said Northland DHB Smokefree Coordinator Bridget Rowse.

87 percent of people surveyed knew about Kaipara's smokefree playgrounds and agreed that children's playgrounds should be smokefree, 73 per cent of those people surveyed were smokers.

"It shows that Kaipara residents care about the future of our children and young people and want to provide a clean, healthy place to play," says Debbie Evans Kaipara Community Health Trust CEO.

Kaipara Mayor Neil Tiller says the "we adopted an educative approach rather than a legal ban which to deter people from smoking in our playgrounds in front of our children." 

Smokefree playgrounds aim to normalise non-smoking and encourage positive role models for children and young people in Kaipara district.  "Evidence shows that children and young adults learn from observing others and tend to follow the behaviour of role models," Jim Callaghan Cancer Society Northland.

Twenty Five District Councils in New Zealand have already successfully implemented smokefree outdoor environments that range from smokefree parks, playgrounds, sports grounds and even some smokefree beaches.  The Kaipara District Council became the first in Northland to introduce smokefree playgrounds.  Whangarei District Council is currently considering introducing a smokefree outdoor areas policy.  The public has been quick to comply.  96.5 % of people believe it's no longer okay to smoke around children

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For further information contact:

Bridget Rowse, Smokefree Coordinator
Phone (09) 430 4101 ext 7908
Email This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

Fleur King, Public Relations Manager
Northland District Health Board 
Phone (09) 430 4101 ext 3315