Creating a Smokefree Hutt Valley

At Healthy Families Hutt Valley, we know the importance of having spaces and places that support our health and wellbeing. We’ve been working to shift the system alongside our partners and community to create a smokefree and vapefree Hutt Valley.  Through Hutt City Council’s Smokefree Outdoor Public Places Policy and Upper Hutt City Council’s Smokefree Upper Hutt Policy, we have made our environments healthier places for the whole community to enjoy. We’ve captured this journey in ‘Creating a Smokefree Hutt Valley’ that shares our insights, lessons learned and knowledge on how collective effort supports systems change and the Government’s goal for a Smokefree Aotearoa 2025.

Smokefree and vapefree public places enable our communities to be healthy, liveable and family-friendly spaces. By reducing the harmful exposure to second-hand smoke, supporting smokers to quit, reducing the environmental impact of cigarette litter and providing an opportunity for healthy role modelling to our tamariki, we can support people to lead smokefree lives.

This journey in Te Awa Kairangi started twelve years ago when partners approached both Upper Hutt City Council and Hutt City Council, to explore an opportunity to make public spaces like parks, playgrounds and outdoor swimming pools smokefree.

Healthy Families Hutt Valley joined the movement for smokefree public places five years ago when smokefree policies were still a fairly new approach to curbing the harm from tobacco. Since then, we have played an active role in shifting the tobacco control system.

Early on, the collective vision from partners was shared with two cities benefiting from smokefree and vapefree spaces and places. We took our learnings and knowledge from the experience in Lower Hutt and applied these while working alongside Upper Hutt City Council to scale into Upper Hutt.   

With ongoing leadership and continued support by local Mayors, Councillors and Council Officers, we were able to shepherd smokefree and vapefree policy through local government.       

Since then, central government have introduced new tobacco control legislation including the Smokefree Environments and Regulating Products Act 1990 which regulates vaping products, as well as the Smokefree Environments Amendment Bill prohibiting smoking in cars carrying children. The new legislation further reinforces the importance of environments free from smoking and vaping.

The true collective effort by local government, community and members of the Hutt Valley Tobacco Control Group has been integral to the success and demonstrates the impact of collective action and influence.   

As we reflect on the smokefree journey locally and the wider journey towards a Smokefree Aotearoa, we are proud of what has been collectively achieved and look forward to continuing the momentum to a healthier future.