Smoke-free signs set for appearance

SMOKE-FREE signs for outdoor recreational areas in the Manawatu District are about to be introduced with Kowhai Park earmarked as the first designated site for the distinctive notices.

Parks and Reserves Manager, Albert James, said two differently worded signs indicating a smoke-free area had been prepared and were now ready for placement.

The signs target adults who smoke while watching their children and other young people playing sport or at play, as well as aiming to reduce the uptake of smoking by youngsters.

Mr James said the signs represented a moral rather than legal ban and offered adults a chance to set a good example for children - who often copied what they had seen.

“People are getting used to non-smoking environments and we hope these signs, which look good and tell a story, will deter the smoker from lighting up,” he said.

“The focus is on educating people, and changing behaviours, and reinforcing the message that it is normal to be smoke-free.”

Mr James said the move followed a submission by MidCentral District Health Board to the Manawatu District Council’s 2007/08 Annual Plan that council reserves be covered by a smoke-free policy that was educational as opposed to penal.

He said the appearance of smoke-free signs on council-owned playgrounds, parks, sports fields, reserves, gardens and beaches around New Zealand had taken off since South Taranaki District Council led the way in 2005.

Feilding’s CBD is another area considered by council as a likely smoke-free zone.