Complying with the Smoke-free Environments Act is just the first step. In a smokefree/auahi kore school/kura the whole community works together to address smoking effectively by following recommendations in the Guide to a Smokefree/Auahi Kore School ( 660Kb).

What are some ways we can prevent students at our school becoming smokers?

You can help keep your students smokefree/auahi kore (and increase their likelihood of staying smokefree/auahi kore) by strengthening these protective factors:

Teachers are smokefree/auahi kore.
School rules are clear to students and consistently applied.
Students feel connected to their school and community.
Students have a sense of purpose, meaning and hope.
Students believe being smokefree/auahi kore is normal and socially acceptable.
Students are aware that smoking is over-represented in the media.
Students achieve well academically.
Students are involved in co-curricular activities.
Students do not have access to tobacco.
The majority of students are smokefree/auahi kore.
Schools communicate these protective factors to parents.

Is there a plan my school can follow to become completely smokefree/auahi kore?

Our Guide to a Smokefree/Auahi Kore School ( 660Kb) helps schools plan their next steps towards actively promoting smokefree behaviours and attitudes to students, whānau and the wider school community.This guide using the Health Promoting Schools framework.

Is there any information available to help us develop a smokefree/auahi kore policy?

See Developing a Smokefree Policy for some helpful tips on developing your school's Smokefree/Auahi Kore policy. Policy templates are also provided.

What is the best way to deal with students who smoke on school/kura grounds?

A supportive, non-threatening approach is more effective than a punitive one. The consequences for smoking should be tailored to the needs of the student and the school.

Are we responsible if people smoke on the premises/grounds?

Yes, the Smoke-free Environments Act says the management of the school is required to take "all reasonably practicable steps" to ensure no one smokes anywhere on grounds of the school/kura. Note that it is the failure to take these steps that breaches the law, rather than the act of smoking itself.

What can we do if someone smokes in the buildings or grounds of our school/kura?

The smoker should be approached and asked not to smoke. If the offence continues a senior staff member should approach the person. If they continue smoking they should be asked to leave the premises in accordance with the legislation.

Can we deem one area of the school/kura as a smoking area for staff or contractors?

No. There are no exceptions for anyone to smoke anywhere within the school/kura grounds.

Can staff or parents smoke in private vehicles in a school/kura car park?

No. If the car park is within the grounds, smoking in it contravenes the Smoke-free Environments Act. The school/kura grounds and buildings must be smokefree/auahi kore 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What about smokers' rights?

The Smoke-free Environments Act is about where people can smoke, not about whether they can smoke. Schools/kura are special environments for young people and smoking on these premises sends mixed messages about the dangers of smoking.

Where can smokers go to have a cigarette?

People who wish to smoke must leave the school/kura grounds. Ideally, they should smoke out of sight of students.

Can we ask staff to stop leaving the school/kura premises to smoke?

No. Smokers can smoke in their own time off the premises. However, as highly influential role models, teachers should be made aware their smoking behaviour can enhance the appeal of smoking to students.

What quit-smoking services are available for staff and students?

Our Quitting Smoking page has a list of New Zealand services providing information and support for quitting smoking.

Teachers

How can we encourage students not to take up smoking or to quit if they do smoke?

Work towards becoming a smokefree/auahi kore school/kura. A good place to start is by completing our questionnaire.

Encourage and support students to quit smoking and get students involved in school projects. For example, learning about the tobacco industry's deceptive and manipulative tactics may encourage students to boycott cigarettes and tobacco products.

Are there any smokefree/auahi kore websites set up especially for young people?

Smokefree Youth Ambassadors is a page of the Cancer Society website about passionate young people working with the Cancer Society to get rid of retail marketing of tobacco products and end tobacco marketing.

Smoking Not Our Future is a New Zealand campaign for young people. Its website features celebrities popular with young people, who give their opinions on smoking and quitting.

Visit our Links page for other local and international websites that provide helpful information. There are also sites with activities for students undertaking projects on smoking and advice for teenagers on how to quit.

Why do young people take up smoking?

Young people are more likely to take up smoking if

their parents, peers and role models smoke
they're exposed to peer pressure
they see smoking as normal or more prevalent than it is
they lack connectedness with others (parents, family, school, community etc)
they lack self esteem
they have access to tobacco and/or are exposed to tobacco advertising/displays in shops.

What is a Health Promoting School?

Health Promoting Schools is a holistic initiative that promotes the wellbeing of students, staff and community by breaking down barriers to learning, teaching and participation. It has been successful in addressing issues such as bullying, environmental education, and keeping schools smokefree/auahi kore.

At the heart of Health Promoting Schools in Aotearoa/New Zealand, is a framework that works in partnership with the whole school community, uses advocacy and mediation to enable participation and ensures the protection of everyone.

See Health Promoting Schools for more information.

What is Fruit in Schools and how can it help our school to be smokefree/auahi kore?

Fruit in Schools is a programme aimed at decile 1 and 2 primary and intermediate schools/kura in New Zealand. It provides fresh fruit to each child in participating schools along with support, advice and funding to implement the Health Promoting Schools, whole school approach.

The smokefree element of Fruit in Schools covers school policy and procedures, curriculum teaching and learning and community links. Participating schools/kura follow the Guide to a Smokefree/Auahi Kore School ( 660Kb).

See Fruit in Schools for more information.

What resources are available to help me work on smokefree in the classroom?

Some resources can be downloaded from our Resources page. The page also has links to online resources and information about offline resources.

What is World Smokefree Day and how can I get my school involved?

World Smokefree Day – called 'World No Tobacco Day' in some countries – is about celebrating smokefree/auahi kore lifestyles and supporting people to stay or to become smokefree/auahi kore. It is held each year on May 31 when all kinds of groups and communities celebrate with activities usually rallying around the theme for the year (themes change every one to two years).

Schools/kura can get involved by organising smokefree/auahi kore displays, quizzes, presentations or even a smokefree/auahi kore event such as a concert or sports day. The month of May could also be a good time to promote your school's/kura's smokefree/auahi kore policy, look at including smokefree/auahi kore messages in newsletters, staff orientation or new entrant packs. Teachers could use the month to discuss national tobacco control campaigns or get involved in student smokefree/auahi kore advocacy projects. Whatever you do for World Smokefree Day, remember to get your parent community involved too.

For more information about this year's World Smokefree Day theme, and to see examples of what people have done in the past, check out the the World Smokefree Day website. Your Health Promoting School or Fruit in Schools team may also have ideas.

I'm a smoker and I want to quit – is there somewhere I can get help?

Our Quitting Smoking page has a list of New Zealand services providing information and support for quitting smoking.

Students

What is so bad about smoking?

Many young people think smoking won't affect them negatively and that they can give up any time. However what is often overlooked is that the 'choice' to give up can be taken away from them once addiction sets in. One half of all smokers will die from smoking-related disease and most smokers start smoking when they're young.

Smoking is becoming more and more anti-social (most young people don't smoke), damages your good looks, makes you smell and leaves a dent in your hip pocket. In addition, your smoking can influence younger people (and who wants to feel responsible for young kids taking up smoking?). A pack-a-day smoker could buy a car with the money they spend on smoking each year!

Smoking hurts your health in many ways. It increases your risk of developing heart disease, cancers of the lung, mouth, oesophagus and pancreas or having a stroke. It can lead to blindness and diseases of the urinary tract, pelvis, bladder and digestive tract.

One in four of all cancer deaths in New Zealand is caused by smoking. It smoking causes one out of every 10 deaths worldwide.

What is second-hand smoke?

Second-hand smoke is where non-smokers breathe in the smoke of others around them. It can cause heart disease, lung cancer, strokes, eye irritations, nasal irritations and nasal sinus cancer.

Pregnant women exposed to second-hand smoke can have smaller babies. Second-hand smoke is also associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). It can cause asthma or make asthma symptoms worse.

Around 350 New Zealanders die each year because of exposure to second-hand smoke.

See the Second-hand Smoke website for more information.

I'm doing a project on smoking – where can I get more information?

There are lots of places online where you can find out about smoking and the tobacco industry. The Smokefree: New Zealand website is a great place to start.

I'm a smoker and I want to quit – is there somewhere I can get help?

Our Quitting Smoking page has a list of New Zealand services providing information and support for quitting smoking.

Parents

What can I do to prevent my child from smoking?

As parents, you have a big influence on your children and what you say and do makes a difference. Research shows that kids whose parents explain to them why they don't want them to smoke are much less likely to start. That is even true if a parent is a smoker.

There are lots of ways you can discourage smoking but the most important is – don't smoke yourself and, if you do, give up. Make your home smokefree/auahi kore to protect your kids from breathing in second-hand smoke, have a smokefree/auahi kore car and make sure everyone knows and respects the rules.

The list of protective factors for keeping your child smokefree/auahi kore may be helpful for parents.

How do I talk to my kids about smoking?

Simply forbidding smoking or using guilt are not the most effective ways of stopping your kids smoking. A better approach is to help them come to their own decision to quit. Items on television news programmes, someone they know who has quit, a movie where the heroine lights a cigarette – these can all be great opportunities to start a conversation.

I'm a smoker and I want to quit – is there somewhere I can get help?

Our Quitting Smoking page has a list of New Zealand services providing information and support for quitting smoking.