Retired doctor Len Thompson has successfully implemented a smoke-free zone in Graham and Huapai streets in Kensington. Photos / Michael Cunningham
Retired doctor Len Thompson has successfully implemented a smoke-free zone in Graham and Huapai streets in Kensington. Photos / Michael Cunningham
Two small residential Whangārei streets have pioneered a smokefree initiative, becoming the first street in New Zealand where smoking is officially discouraged.
Residents on Graham and Huapai streets in Kensington have put a proposal forward to Whangārei District Council to establish a smokefree zone over the streets.
Driving force behind the project is retired Air Force doctor Len Thompson. He says the groundwork for the smokefree zone was laid after his neighbour was burgled two years ago, just after Len and his wife Colleen had moved down from Kerikeri.
"We then found out there wasn't really a Neighbourhood Watch in the street," Thompson said.
He took it on himself and knocked on every door in the street to collect all contact details to set up a neighbourhood network.
The idea of getting the Graham and Huapai streets smokefree sparked after Len's local bowling club considered a non-smoking policy.
"Since I had the numbers and email addresses of all the residents, it was easy to find out who would stand behind this."
Len Thompson said as a health professional he had seen the terrible effects of smoking.
Thompson conducted a survey and found out that 80 per cent of the residents supported the initiative, including the three smokers living in the vicinity.
"The 20 per cent of people who didn't agree simply didn't want to put pressure on smokers," he said.
Thompson then contacted the council who got the Northland DHB and the Cancer Society on board to bring the project ahead.
"To my surprise, they thought it was a good idea; they were quite enthusiastic," he said.
The council introduced an educative smokefree policy for its playgrounds and sports grounds in 2010, followed by its parks in 2011.
All bus shelters and the Rose St transport hub became smokefree in February 2014.
Other key city spaces such as the Aquatic Centre, Te Manawa The Hub Information Centre, the I-site at Tarewa Park, Central City Car Park, Clapham's Clocks, Quarry Gardens and Kiwi North are also smokefree. Last year, vaping was also banned in all smokefree spaces.
Rachel Jujnovich and her family live on Graham St and are proud to be New Zealand first residential smokefree street. Photo / John Stone
Graham St resident Rachel Jujnovich is excited about the initiative and is proud that her street joins the growing number of smokefree spaces.
"It's an awesome stance in terms of making New Zealand smokefree," she said.
She hopes it inspires more people in the region to become smokefree.
Northland DHB said the smoking rate in Northland averages at 19.1 per cent – compared with 15.1 per cent nationwide. Smoking is related to a quarter of all deaths and almost half of all Māori deaths in Northland.
