Smokers may be on outer
Wellington outdoor dining areas on the city’s footpaths, waterfront and parks may need to be smokefree by early next year.
Wellington City Council is proposing the change as part of its effort to help New Zealand become smokefree by 2025, and to set health and safety rules for the city’s public spaces.
Yesterday, councillors proposed to ban smoking and vaping at outdoor bar and restaurant areas on public land. A final decision will be made in October following public feedback next month and in August.
If approved, bar and restaurant owners would have six months to comply with the new rules, which would also apply to people running trading activities or events on public land.
Hospitality New Zealand chief executive Julie White said that, if approved, the regulations would significantly restrict the number of premises with the ability to have a smoking area.
‘‘It’s not a health debate, it’s a personal choice debate. Individuals have the right to choose whether to smoke or vape, and businesses have the right to choose if they have a space for the activity on their premises.
‘‘We are quite a highly compliant industry. I have confidence that the operators would be able to provide this, but they need to be able to have a choice to provide it,’’ White said.
Jeremy Smith, director of the Trinity Group, which owns multiple Wellington restaurant and bars, including El Horno on Courtenay Place, said he did not see the logic in the proposal.
‘‘We’re opposed to it and see no real benefit because someone can step outside my licensed area and can smoke a cigarette. I’m not too sure what they’re necessarily trying to achieve,’’ Smith said.
Bar owner Matt McLaughlin said if the proposal was approved, it would push people out onto the streets, creating further congestion on footpaths.
There are 100 bars and restaurants with footpath outdoor dining licences in Wellington City – 67 in the city centre and 33 elsewhere – but only half are smokefree. A further 13 bars and restaurants have waterfront or city park outdoor dining licences, four of which are smokefree.
Smokefree venues are exempt from annual licence fees but places that allow smoking are charged an annual fee.
The fees for footpath licences are $90 per square metre in the city centre and $58.50 per sqm elsewhere, while the fee for waterfront or city park licences are between $1 and $150 per sqm. The council is proposing to set a $90 flat rate for waterfront and city park licences.
It would not be able to issue spot fines to enforce the new rules but could decline licence applications and renewals and charge fines for licence breaches.