HUTT CITY COUNCIL NEWS RELEASE

25 MAY 2016

More smokefree areas in Lower Hutt

Hutt City Council has extended its Smokefree Policy to include more outdoor public areas in Lower Hutt.

At a meeting of Council on 24 May it was unanimously agreed to extend the smokefree outdoor areas policy to include parks and sports grounds, train stations, bus shelters, beaches, outdoor dining on pavements, outdoor areas in town centres and outdoor public areas around council buildings and facilities.

Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace says the community indicated strong support for an increasingly smokefree Lower Hutt and this policy is a step towards a healthier city.

“Council is taking a leadership role in the community’s health and wellbeing. This policy is not about persecuting people who smoke. This is a positive approach to continue to influence the culture towards smoking in public places.

“We have seen this kind of cultural change in Lower Hutt already - in 2009 Council adopted a policy that designated playground and swimming pool complexes in the city as smokefree and it is now absolutely the attitude that those are not acceptable places to smoke.”

Healthy Families Lower Hutt Manager Hayley Goodin is in full support of the change in policy.

“There are 10 Healthy Families NZ communities across the country, each was chosen for having some concerning health statistics. Lower Hutt is one of these – but it’s our aim that it doesn’t stay that way.

“We want Lower Hutt to be a place that supports people to be able to lead a healthy life – and this change in smokefree policy is a great example of how we’re going to get there. It’s about all of us working together and playing our part to drive and support healthy change for our community.”

ENDS

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