Health bosses want the Auckland Council to ban smoking in all public outdoor areas in the city in a bid to stop children picking up the habit.
The proposed ban would include the city centre, parks, playgrounds, sports grounds, stadiums, parts of beaches, council-controlled land such as around the Auckland Museum and art gallery, and events supported by the council, such as Pasifika.
The proposal from Andy Roche and Dr Lavinia Perumal, of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service, is backed by the Auckland, Counties-Manukau and Waitemata district health boards.
They say the council should comply with the Cancer Society's request to restrict cigarette or tobacco smoking in its open spaces, parks, sports fields and playgrounds, as well as in malls and pedestrian areas.
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