Council greenlights smokefree outdoor dining trial

The council’s pushing for a trial that could see Nelson City kick the habit of smoking outside cafes.

The council’s planning and regulatory committee has recommended the council approve funding for the New Zealand Cancer Society in Nelson to trial smokefree outdoor dining in the CBD. It’s also recommending all council-run events be smokefree.

The Cancer Society would be granted $3500 for a pilot programme encouraging Nelson city cafes and restaurants to have smokefree outdoor dining.

Cancer Society Nelson manager Michelle Hunt said they had already spoken to about 25 cafe owners in Nelson’s CBD, and 81 per cent had been in favour of the initiative.

The society, with support from the council and Nelson District Health Board, would provide promotional material, advertising, and signage, but cafes would sign up on a voluntary basis.

She said a similar pilot had been run by the Cancer Society team in Christchurch this past summer and anecdotally had been a success.

‘‘Their report comes out next week but from conversations with [the Christchurch team], it’s had a very good response and businesses are keen to keep it on,’’ Hunt said.

Morri Street Cafe owner Kay Field said she was supportive of the move and had already made their outdoor area smokefree.

‘‘The response has been good,’’ Field said.

‘‘Because in summer [the smoke] used to waft through the cafe when the windows were open, so it’s been a positive thing.’’

Ford’s Restaurant and Bar has also already stubbed out smoking in its outdoor area.

Staff member Amy Austin said they’d gone smokefree in December after a lot of thought.

‘‘I think the owners have wanted to for quite some time but they were just quite concerned about the backlash ... you don’t want to upset your customers,’’ Austin said.

But she said the transition to smokefree had gone smoothly.

‘‘The non-smokers are very pleased to not have to deal with [the smoke] and the smokers seem to be very understanding.’’

Council officer Nicky McDonald said while they had looked at regulatory options for a smokefree city, they’d found the best approach was to encourage and support smokefree dining and events, rather than enforce them.

However, if the recommendations are passed at a full council meeting, it will mean council can and will enforce non-smoking at all events it runs and completely funds.

For events where it is a partial sponsor, it’s recommended the council works with funding partners to promote the smokefree message.

The recommendations will now be taken to the full council for a vote. Low income households in Motueka and Mapua are among the big winners from yesterday’s Budget.

Nelson MP Nick Smith said today that 4000 households in Nelson and Tasman would benefit from increased accommodation supplement payments, made to those on low incomes with high housing costs.

For 650 households in Motueka and 350 in Mapua there would be an added bonus because the areas have been reclassified into a high housing cost category.

Smith said a family in Mapua would receive an accommodation supplement of $220 a week under the new rates, up from $75. In Motueka, the equivalent increase would be from $120 to $220, and in Nelson from $165 to $220.

The new rates take effect from April next year.

Smith said the Budget family incomes package also meant 30,000 families in the region would get an extra $26 a week from changes to the lower and middle tax brackets, and 13,000 would gain from increases to family support payments.

The Budget provided a $16 million increase in Nelson Marlborough Health funding, bringing its budget for 2017/18 to $444 million.

Smith said the increase was double the $8 million injection given to the district health board last year, reflecting the country’s improved economic position.

The MP also said a $9.2 billion increase to fund 540km of new state highways over the next four years improved the prospects for the alternative Southern Link route through Nelson getting the go ahead.

The New Zealand Transport Agency is currently investigating the feasibility of the controversial link, which would replace the State Highway 6 waterfront Rocks Rd route, but has not set a time frame for a decision.

In other public services, Smith said the Budget would fund 24 extra police and 39 extra ambulance officers for the region.

The Child Poverty Action Group said while the family package brought improvements for many on low incomes it was ‘‘a surprisingly small gesture for the children in New Zealand who are suffering the worst effects of poverty’’.

It estimated 100,000 to 150,000 children would continue to suffer severe hardship.