A report has revealed that the Auckland Regional Public Health Service has proposed the Auckland Council to impose a ban on smoking in public places. The proposal has been especially made after considering the safety and wellness of school children.

In this regard, the Director of Auckland Tobacco Control Research Centre, Marewa Glover, said that, “It's basically to cut down on children seeing people smoking because it normalises it and they think that it's normal and it goes towards increasing the risk of them picking up smoking”.

Moreover, the health service is getting lots of support from the community for Auckland-wide ban and since they have told the importance of the ban in context to kids, their belief has gone stronger that it would be a nice move.

However, there can be some difficulties in implementing this ban. But if this ban gets implemented, it would be a big win to make New Zealand go smoke-free. The proposed ban has given birth to different ideas across the community.

Auckland councilors have a mixed view over this suggestion as this ban would include the city centre, parks, sports grounds, playgrounds, stadiums, parts of beaches and other areas which are being controlled by the councils. But, the general population is finding the crux of the idea to be good enough to be implemented.

The idea has been presented before the council and is backed by the Cancer Society which also wants to restrict tobacco products at open spaces. Till now, no decision has been taken in this regard, but Auckland Mayor Len Brown has welcomed the proposal as smoking is one of the major health concerns of the country.

It shall however be noted that Brown has also maintained that smoke-free policies are not legal so it can be enforced.