The Ministry of Health guidelines for what can be considered ‘outside’ of bars were declared invalid by a court decision in September 2013. This put in doubt the legality of smoking in semi-enclosed places at bars. Despite that, the owners and managers of New Zealand bars continue to allow smoking in many semi-enclosed places.
This survey of smoking areas at Wellington bars found that 36% did not even comply with the old (invalid) guidelines, and 79% had at least a roof (often with drop down sides).
The solution suggested is to have smokefree areas at least 10 metres from the entrances or windows of workplaces or buildings which the public use.
For more information please contact:
George Thomson
University of Otago, Wellington
email: george.thomson@otago.ac.nz