SmokeFree

New Zealanders are embracing a smokefree lifestyle, with nine out of ten supporting the right to live and work in a smokefree environment, a Ministry of Health report says.

A new report - After the Smoke Has Cleared: Evaluation of the Impact of a New Smokefree Law - has been published by the University of Otago, University of Auckland and the Health Sponsorship Council, to evaluate the effects of the Smokefree Environments Amendment Act 2003.

Associate Health Minister Damien O'Connor said since the introduction of the Smokefree Environments Amendment Act there had been a "huge change for the better" and a major buy-in from stakeholders and communities over the past two years.

"There is very strong support - more than 90 per cent - for the right to live and work in a smokefree environment and that continues to grow.

"In the same vein, more than 90 per cent of kiwis now report that they live in smokefree homes."

The study also showed support for a smoking ban in bars had increased - doubling to 74 per cent support in 2006 from 38 per cent in 2001, Mr O'Connor said.

This was originally reported in the New Zealand Herald