Support a Wanganui Smokefree bylaw

Support grows to ban ciggies in parks
By Anne-Marie Emerson | 27th April 2010
 
 Cr Ray Stevens wants to see smoking banned in Wanganui's premier parks.

He feels so strongly about it that he has started a petition and he is going around the district's schools to talk to  children about the dangers of smoking.

A former smoker himself, Mr Stevens's motion to introduce the smoking ban was narrowly defeated - by just six votes to seven - at the Wanganui District Council's community development committee meeting in February.

On Friday, Mr Stevens and a supportive parent, Diana Davey, went to Brunswick School to talk to the children there about smoking.

Mr Stevens said children had no say about whether people smoked around them or not.

"Children will look up to an adult who's smoking and see them as their role model. We don't want children to think this is normal practice for adults."

Ms Davey grew up around smokers and was a smoker for a long time. She gave up nearly a decade ago.

As a mother of two small children, she said she believed the smoking ban would fit in well with the council's "family friendly" policy.

"Kids have the right to be in a smokefree environment at a playground, just as adults do at a cafe."

Brunswick School principal Jan Clark, said the smokefree message went down well with the pupils.

"They were really sold on the idea. They were very enthusiastic."

Mrs Clark backs the proposed ban.  She said: "Anything that supports the health of our children is a great thing."

 Copies of the petition would be left at the school office for pupils and their parents to sign.