How do whānau become smokefree?

Local smoking cessation support providers are available to provide quit smoking help and supportive advice. They can also provide Nicotine Replacement Therapy if required.  Below are the Stop Smoking Service Providers in the Bay of Plenty, Lakes, and Tairāwhiti districts that you can contact for stop smoking support.

Rotorua Lakes



Western and Eastern Bay of Plenty




Tairāwhiti

Pinnacle Midland Health Stop Smoking Service - Once and For All. 

Aotearoa-wide

Alternatively, if you or your whānau need help to quit smoking find support at:

• Quitline on 0800 778 778 or www.quit.org.nz

• Health Promotion Agency - List of smokefree support services New Zealand wide

Most whānau don’t want their tamariki to smoke, even if they smoke themselves! Whānau can do plenty of things to prevent tamariki from taking up smoking.

Role modelling is important for young people. The less they see others smoking, the less likely they are to start. Whether you are a parent who smokes or doesn’t smoke, the more you prevent your tamariki from seeing smoking, the less likely they are to start smoking. 

Tips for whānau:

• If you don’t smoke, don’t start!  If you do smoke, quit!

• If you smoke, share your struggles to quit with your children.  It will put them off starting in the first place!

• Maintain a smokefree home and car

• Tell your tamariki that you don’t want them to smoke and will be disappointed if they do

• Make sure tamariki have the facts they need to ensure they don't take up smoking

• Tell tamariki about the health effects of smoking

• Destroy the myth that everybody smokes. 

Whānau can support each other to become smokefree by doing the following:

• Support whānau and hapū members through quit attempts.  Remember the three main reasons why becoming auahi kore can be difficult for whānau.  These are; addiction, habits, and emotions.

• Let your whānau know that you have a smokefree home and car.  Display auahi kore stickers on windows to promote this.

• Make your marae auahi kore.

• Talk to tamariki about being smokefree, the risks of smoking, and how hard it is to quit.

Making your marae auahi kore can make a huge difference in your hapū as well as your whānau.

• Adopt the Hapū Hauora Auahi Kore Guidelines

Start with your marae committee and marae trustees and table a request to make your marae smokefree. Ensure as many of the hapū as possible participate in the discussion.  If agreement to become auahi kore is approved, implement the Hapū Hauora Marae Auahi Kore Guidelines below. 

• Smokefree signage

Putting up smokefree signage is important as it will promote your marae's auahi kore stance and hapū members will be reminded of this whenever they see the signs.
Manuhiri will also be aware of the smokefree marae when they come visit or hire it for private events.

Smokefree signange can be ordered from the Health Promotion Agency website.  You can order up to 7 signs FREE of charge.

• Support hapū and whānau to become smokefree
  

Hapū members or visitors should have access to quit smoking support or people who can help them to give up.  This list of cessation support providers should be made available to hapū or visitors to the marae and placed on noticeboards or in an area on the wall where they can easily be seen.

Be a positive role model and don’t smoke around tamariki at any time. They’ll be less likely to become smokers.  

Ask your family and whānau to support you by not smoking in your house and in your car.  You can go one step further and ask them not to smoke at all! If whānau are smoking, keep cigarettes, lighters and reminders like ashtrays safely away from children. Ask whānau to smoke where tamariki won't see them.  Let other people know smoking is not allowed in your house and in your car – put smokefree/auahi kore stickers on your windows to show you mean business! 

Smoking in the car is harmful to your tamariki because:

• They will be exposed to second-hand smoke and children who breathe in second-hand smoke are more likely to develop illnesses such as chest infections, glue ear and asthma.

• Young people who have friends/family/whānau who smoke are more likely to become smokers.

Second-hand smoke is a mix of smoke from the burning end of a cigarette plus the smoke blown into the air by the person smoking. It contains more than 200 poisons, some of which can cause cancer.

• Winding the window down will not remove all of the poisons.

• The poisons will linger long after the smoke and smell have disappeared.

• Tamariki are often not able to move away from second-hand smoke in a car.

Easy steps to making your car smokefree:

• Make a rule – your car is smokefree at all times for everyone.

• Clean out your car ashtray.

• Remove the car cigarette lighter.

• Let other people know – put a Smokefree sticker on your car window.

• Ask your family and whānau to support you by not smoking in your car.

Be a positive role model and donʻt smoke around children at any time. Theyʻll be less likely to become smokers.

The smokefree cars toolkit will help you and your hapū to promote the smokefree cars message to whānau.  For more informaiton see www.smokefree.org.nz/secondhandsmoke

Quitting smoking can be very difficult.  It can be made even harder if there are whānau members who smoke around those who are trying to quit. 

The good news is there are national and local/iwi events that whānau members can take part in which offer support and  encourage one another to be auahi kore.

World Smokefree Day

World Smokefree Day (also known as Smokefree May) which is in May every year and ends with World Smokefree Day on May 31st.

Stoptober

Stoptober is held in October every year. The aim is to get people to quit smoking for the month of October. The video below explains what Stoptober is all about.