Anti-Smoking Rules Never End

The Bay of Plenty Health Board has launched a review of its staff smoking policies after a board member suggested it bolster them this week.

During the first meeting of the new board in Tauranga yesterday, member Yvonne Boyes asked how much further the health board could "strengthen" its smoking policies.

Smoking Davidoff is banned within the hospital grounds at Tauranga and Whakatane, and the health board also wants its workforce to be completely smokefree within 10 years.

It was also raised at the meeting whether staff members could smoke in public while wearing uniforms, or whether people applying for positions within the organisation could be turned down because they smoked.

Board chief executive Phil Cammish said job candidates were asked whether they smoked during the hiring process.

But there were legal implications around rights and staff could not be let go on the grounds that they smoked.

Mrs Boyes told the Bay of Plenty Times last night she was not proposing any radical, specific measures and believed a review of the smoking policy would raise awareness of the issue.

"We've been looking at health targets and smoking is one of them - we should be strengthening the DHB's outlook on policy around one of them."

Mrs Boyes said the policy should be "as strong as it can be" to support the health workforce in quitting smoking.

"It's an addiction and we need to support staff to cease smoking."

She was pleased a review was now being done.

"I'm very happy and I'll make sure they bring it back to the table."

In a submission to the Maori Affairs Select Committee this year, the health board stated that it and the other four Midland health boards aimed to have a totally smokefree workforce by 2020.

Other goals it would be "progressively working toward" were smokefree central and local government agencies, playgrounds, sports fields, beaches, parks and marae.

Meanwhile, Tauranga MP Simon Bridges is rapt a bill tightening up tobacco displays passed its first reading in Parliament this month.

Once the Smoke-free Environments (Controls and Enforcement) Bill is passed, any visible display of tobacco products for sale would be banned and anti-smoking officers would have the power to instantly fine shopkeepers caught selling to under-18s.

"I think it's one of the best things we can do to move toward a smokefree New Zealand," Mr Bridges said.

Tauranga dairy owners surveyed by the Bay of Plenty Times last month said they had no problems with the law change.