Businesses support street smoking ban

11:00 AEST Tue Jun 12 2012

MSN NZ

A new survey has found Wellington businesses are not worried about the thought of smoking being banned in their city centre (Thinkstock)

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Health news

Making New Zealand streets smoke-free could help grow businesses by making the city centre a nicer place to be.

A new survey has found Wellington businesses are not worried about the thought of smoking being banned in their city centre.

Of the 198 business owners and managers spoken to along the stretch from Lambton Quay to Courtenay Place, 83 per cent thought it would have either a positive or negligible impact on business, public health researchers from Wellington's University of Otago found.

However, businesses selling food with outdoor seating were most likely to think there would be a negative impact.

Study co-author, associate professor Nick Wilson, said the survey was carried out in light of increasing moves towards smoke-free city streets and shopping areas in the United States and Australia.

The lack of concern from the majority of businesses showed that many could consider it a positive step if the city streets became smoke-free, he said.

''It could even be the case that by making the centre city more attractive, smoke-free streets could increase business activity.''

Dr Wilson said such smoke-free policy decisions were helpful towards denormalising smoking and preparing New Zealand for the government's goal of a smoke-free nation by 2025.

The survey results come after Wellington City Council last week approved a move to make all city playgrounds, sports fields and skate parks smoke-free.

The ban will see signs erected in playgrounds and parks, but no fines for people who disobey the rule.

But they voted down a motion by councillor Stephanie Cook calling for council staff to investigate further smoke-free areas, including the Wellington’s city centre, Fairfax media reported.

Do you think smokefree streets are a good idea?Have Your day below

User comments

we are unable in public to drink alcohol (unless licenced) have sex, be abusive etc. why the hell should people smoke and pollute the non smokers air! thats right, us non smokers have rights too! its disgusting walking past and having to breathe in recycled air which has been in filthy lungs! bout time we charged smokers an emission tax!!!!! and before you harp on about how you have rights, so do the rest of us! hey but keep wasting your money and gobbling up our health system, you selfish people!!!

The article states that Wellingon businesses don't mind a policy to ban smoking in their surrounding areas. This appears to be based upon an understanding that promoting a smokefree atmosphere is beneficial for business, byl promoting more foot traffic and making the shopping experience more pleasant for potential customers. This is a sound business strategy that makes commercial sense. Contrast it with 'Old Smoker', who thinks it's saying he's not allowed to smoke anywhere at all. He prefers to drive people away and undermine the shopping experience because of his addiction. Lou has not considered whether tourists would find NZ a more attractive destination due to a smokefree goal (note - as a non-coercive 'aspirational' for NZ society). In that scenario where it's just the smoker and their tacks, (without any feedback) this vital concept of CHOICE is still being lost anyway. Please acknowledge that, if you claim to be 'informed'.

Yes I support freedom of choice, I support the decision made by the government to make NZ a smoke free nation. I want to live longer thanks, if you want to smoke you can, make an area where only smokers are allowed to smoke, far away from all the public activities going on, which is what Japan is currently doing at the moment.

FYI twitt, SMOKING is a habit of choice! 1-SMOKING is not immoral or illegal! 2- SMOKING does not make one or cause one to KILL people.... in as much as we could a few ANTI~SMOKERS! 3- illegal drugs KILL! 4- Alchohol Abuse KILLS! 5- brainless drivers KILL! 6- cell phone abuse can KILL! 7- stress and bad tempers KILL! .... BEWARE.

I am sick of breathing in other peoples dirty smoke from their lungs into mine as I pass them or come across them in doorways or outside eating premises. Not forgetting our children too so clean up our air. This does affect other peoples health too maybe they don't care as long as they get their "drag" but we do. For the good health of us all ban it now

GO TO HELL! SMOKING IS A HABIT OF CHOICE AS IS OUR CHOICE TO "NOT~SPEND~MONEY~IN~SAID~SUPPORTING~BUSSINESS"! ITS THEIR CHOICE TO NOT MAKE MONEY BY CHOOSING SIDES AGAINST THE SMOKERS ..... YOU DECIDE ANTI SMOKING *** TWITT!

I think this is a fantastic idea, too many time have I gone to cafes wanting to sit in the sun and breath FRESH air only to be inhaling someone's dirty cigarette smoke, it makes me wild! And what also really gets up me is when I'm walking through town and I have to walk through a cloud of someone's cigarette smoke. The fact that I'm pregnant makes me even less unimpressed.

An Otago Daily Times article this week was about a local policy proposal to limit smoking in public areas. Hospitality workers claimed further restrictions would be 'problematic'. One observation is that smoke-filled air is hardly without its own problems. If smokers claim to be 'informed' about smoking-related harm, why is there not greater support for regulations, independent of any forced or imposed regulation? Is is something to do with a belief that outdoors, there is no harm, since the fresh air will carry the toxins away? This belief doesn't address exposure to children, and the cumulative effects of exposure from one end of the CBD to the other. Please don't claim attention should be on traffic fumes if you're not willing to discuss second-hand smoke. Nor is this post telling people what to do. The question is Why doesn't 'informed' include awareness of the effects for other people?

I think its a pretty stupid idea what are we going to say the tourist's sorry but you can't smoke in the streets cause NZ is trying to become smoke free (which will never happen anyways). If I was a tourist and a smoker I would think twice before coming here. As for the wasted wages on smokers everyone is entitled to morning, lunch and afternoon breaks and if they choose to smoke in their break then that's there decision just like its their decision to smoke and they are paying the government taxes every time they buy a packet of smokes. At the end of the day if someone wants to smoke then that's THEIR CHOICE just likes its my choice not to smoke!!

It has always been my dream that we would have a smokefree nation, wouldn't that be the best thing to happen to our country. What a great thing it would be to show our kids and grandkids etc. I would completely back any business or any person that wanted to put this in motion and by gradually enforcing smokefree areas around our country, I believe that this could eventually be possible. It has never been a great product and wish it had never been invented, our people would have been alot better off without it ever existing but that is not the case, it's about what we all do to stop the continual use of such a nasty product and habit.