According to the latest census figures, the number of regular smokers in the Lakes District Health Board area has dropped from 18,258 in 2006 to 13,551 in 2013.
In more positive news, the number of ex-smokers was on the rise from 15,936 in 2006 to 17,388 last year, while more people have said they've never regularly smoked, up from 32,868 in 2006 to 36,246 last year.
And it's not just in numbers. Dr Pert said people were quitting in their droves.
More than ever before, he said he was seeing people either stopping the habit, or wanting to.
"There are very few people that are happy to smoke," he said.
"We have seen a social change. Society is saying enough is enough."
Dr Pert said the cost factor was one of the biggest reasons for quitting - and MP Tariana Turia and the Maori Party needed to be credited with their "relentless push" to make the habit harder for people.
"People are stopping in their droves."
There had never been more support available, he said.
"The best thing is either to visit your GPs and talk to a practice nurse or a doctor.
"It's best to plan it the way you would plan anything else."
Dr Pert said getting the support of medical professionals could help look smokers at the wider issues of why people smoked, and assist in replacing the smoking behaviour with a better, alternative behaviour.
Simply sitting down and crunching the numbers on the back of an envelope could be just the eye-opener some people needed.
Those who had tried to quit unsuccessfully shouldn't be discouraged, he said.
He likened it to learning to ride a bike - and said no matter how many times they fell off, they needed to keep getting back on and eventually they'd succeed.
While quitting was important, Dr Pert said a target should be stopping people from ever starting.
"It's hard to stop but it's relatively easy to never start."
It's a philosophy the Lakes District Health Board agrees with.
General manager of planning and funding Mary Smith said supporting people to say "no" to tobacco smoking was the foremost opportunity to target improvements in the health of local people, as well as reducing the health inequalities for Maori.
Mrs Smith said to have the greatest impact, they were working to prevent people taking up smoking in the first place.
She noted that 80 per cent of current smokers aged between 15 and 64 said they would not smoke if they had their life over again.
"Smoking is a major contributor to preventable illness and long-term conditions such as cancer, respiratory disease, heart disease and strokes. Cancer is the leading cause of death in New Zealand and is a major cause of hospitalisation and driver of cost."
Another area of focus is around encouraging pregnant women to stop smoking.
Mrs Smith said the rates of pregnant women who smoked were persistently high for Maori women.
In the 2013 calendar year, 39 per cent of Maori and 14 per cent of non-Maori women giving birth in Lakes DHB facilities smoked.
Those figures were concerning because of the impact of in-utero smoke exposure on the growing baby - including low birth weight, SUDI (sudden unexplained death in infancy), respiratory problems in infancy and childhood and a (later) predisposition to diabetes, obesity and cardio-vascular issues.
Mrs Smith said babies who were smoke-exposed in pregnancy often grew into adults with long-term health conditions.
Recent research carried out in New Zealand also showed damage to the placental DNA of mothers who smoked during pregnancy.
Mrs Smith said the vision for a smokefree Aotearoa by 2025 would see the number of smokers in Lakes reduced to just 3500, or 5 per cent of the population.
In order for this vision to become a reality, she said they needed 10,000 smokers to quit smoking in the next 12 years, and for no one else to begin smoking.
Rotorua Area Primary Health Services' health promotion advisor Pollyanne Taare said quitting smoking saved people money.
"For an average 10-a-day smoker, you're looking at over $50 a week, $250 a month or $3000 a year going on smoking. This is a lot of money and it quickly starts to add up."
Places to go for support
- Your GP or practice nurse
- Aukati KaiPaipa service - phone Tipu Ora (07) 348 2400 and Korowai Aroha Health Centre (07) 348 8454
- Quitline 0800 778 778 or www.quit.org.nz
