Whangarei hikoi to mark World Smoke Free Day

A hikoi round Whangarei's Kensington Park will be held to mark World Smoke Free Day. The hikoi, which will be attended by students from local high schools, will end with the handing over of a proposal to the Deputy Mayor, Kahu Sutherland, requesting that Kensington Park should be made totally smokefree.

World Smoke Free Day falls on Saturday 31 May, and the hikoi is being held on Thursday 29 May to allow participation by schools and members of the public. The event is organised by Northland District Health Board and the Cancer Society, in conjunction with Sport Northland.

The focus for World Smoke Free Day 2008 is on creating a smokefree future for New Zealand's young people. In Northland, the aim of the day is to raise community awareness around smokefree outdoor places and advocate to the Whangarei District Council (WDC) to make Kensington Park a smokefree area.

Schools will be writing letters to the Mayor of Whangarei in support of a smokefree Kensington Park, and will also collect signatures for a petition. Students are being encouraged to design placards to carry during the hikoi, and images created in relation to the hikoi will be considered by WDC as possible murals at the park.

Stakeholders who use the park for sporting activities are also being approached to discuss the proposal.

These efforts will culminate in the hikoi, when all petitions and letters of support for the proposal will be handed over to the Deputy Mayor.

Bridget Rowse, Northland DHB's Smokefree Coordinator, said: "A smokefree sporting facility says that the health of the public and the community is important, promotes positive role modeling to youth and reinforces that smoking is not the norm in sport. Adults can help create a smokefree future by not smoking around young people, anywhere, any time - they'll be less likely to start smoking."

The hikoi starts at 1.30pm on 29 May. Members of the public are invited to come along and join in. If the weather is wet there will be no hikoi but those attending will gather inside Kensington Stadium to present the proposal.



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For further information, please contact:

Clare Blackburn, Communications Manager

Northland District Health Board 

Phone (09) 430 4101 ext 3315