Kāpiti Coast’s New Smoke-Free Policy Aims to Curb Public Smoking and Vaping

The smoke-free zone in public places located in Kāpiti Coast will be expanded to include the increasingly common e-cigarettes.

The Kāpiti Coast District Council passed the smoke-free public places policy for 2023 on December 14.

This policy replaces the 2008 smoke-free parks and playgrounds policy and expands the areas where smoking is not allowed, including not only the parks and playgrounds included in the previous policy.

Under the new policy, the community is asked to consider others and refrain from smoking or using e-cigarettes in the following places:

All parks, nature reserves, and sports fields owned by the council
All playgrounds owned by the council, including skate parks
Within a 10-meter radius of outdoor public areas around council buildings and facilities
Train stations, bus stops, and waiting shelters
Beaches, rivers, and lakes
Outdoor dining on public land (starting in 2025)
Events held on council land or events funded by the council (starting in 2025).

Martin Halliday, a member and chair of the Social Sustainability Committee, stated that the goal of the policy is to further de-normalize smoking and vaping, especially for young people.

Halliday said, "Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in New Zealand, imposing significant costs on our health system and economy."

"Lighting a cigarette or using an e-cigarette is harmful, and the less our children see these things, the better. Reducing the visibility of smoking and vaping has been proven to help reduce smoking, especially among children and young people."

Halliday mentioned that vaping is a huge issue for young people.

"This is really concerning, as we are now seeing another generation enslaved to nicotine addiction."

"We ask the community to set a good example by not smoking or using e-cigarettes in public places."

"This policy is not a ban; staff will not be going out to issue violation notices, so we need the support of the community."

"The council will clearly communicate the expected behavior in our shared spaces through signage and ongoing education, so let’s all do the right thing and play our part in reducing the harms and costs of smoking and creating a smoke-free Kāpiti."

During the consultation period, the council received 86 submissions regarding the draft policy, most of which supported the expansion of the policy and the inclusion of e-cigarettes.