Council puts vaping level with smokes

Vaping has been included in the fourth version of the Waimate District Council’s smokefree policy.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the council adopted the Smokefree and Vapefree Environments Policy 312, which endorses, and is aligned with, the overall objective of the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan.

While vaping was mentioned in the last version in 2019, the policy has been modified to include ‘‘enhancement and clarification of the scope of the policy regarding vaping behaviour’’.

The council’s community and strategy group manager Carolyn Johns said vaping was highlighted in the 2022 policy at the request of councillors ‘‘as the practice of vaping is considered to also be detrimental to health’’.

‘‘One of the primary objectives of the [council] is the continuous enhancement of wellbeing of the district’s residents,’’ Johns said.

‘‘Council fully endorses the vision of a smokefree New Zealand, and its Smokefree and Vapefree Policy seeks to directly contribute to the realisation of such a goal.’’

Smoking and vaping is prohibited at all council-owned and controlled areas, properties, facilities and council-organised events but excludes outdoor spaces of its camping grounds.

‘‘The application of the policy directly contributes to the enhancement of, primarily, the social and economic factors of community wellbeing,’’ a principle in the policy said.

The council’s first smokefree policy was adopted in 2012, followed by 2015 and 2019 renditions.

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said it was encouraged to see initiatives in communities which seek to develop policies that promote health and reduce the harm caused by smoking and vaping.

‘‘Any mahi towards a smokefree-Aotearoa should be celebrated,’’ the spokesperson said.