Smokefree legislation applies to schools, early childhood centres, retailers, licensed premises, sports clubs and all employers.
Aims of the smokefree law
The aims are to:
- protect all workers and the public from second-hand smoke
- reduce the harm caused to individuals by their smoking
- further restrict minors’ (under 18) access to smoking products and prevent negative influences on young people
- further promote a smokefree (auahi kore) lifestyle as the norm.
Smokefree law sets out to achieve these aims by:
- limiting the marketing, advertising and promotion of tobacco products
- protecting people from the poisons in second-hand smoke by making it illegal to smoke indoors in public areas and workplaces.
Smokefree places
The following places must be smokefree at all times:
- the buildings and grounds of schools and early childhood centres
- indoor areas of licensed premises and workplaces – ‘licensed premises’ includes bars, restaurants, cafés, sports clubs and casinos, ‘workplaces’ includes offices, factories, warehouses, work canteens and ‘smoko’ rooms.
Making a complaint
To make a complaint under smokefree law, you will need to contact a smoke-free environment officer. Contact numbers can be found at Smokefree complaints.
‘Smoking kills’
Legislation
The Smoke-free Environments Act 1990:
- regulates smokefree workplaces and public areas
- regulates the marketing, advertising and promotion of tobacco products
- monitors and regulates the presence of harmful constituents in tobacco products and tobacco smoke.
The Smoke-free Environments Regulations 2007 regulations set out the labelling requirements for retail packages of cigarettes and other tobacco products, including the requirements for graphic pictorial health warnings.
Photo credits:
1. Kayaking photo by Takver / CC BY-SA 2.0.
2. Cigarette cross photo by André Hengst / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.