Kennedy Park Resort Napier going smokefree from Monday 11 November 2019

Published: 8 November 2019

Kennedy Park Resort Napier continues its shift towards better sustainability practices and wellbeing for guests with the decision to go smokefree from next Monday, 11 November.

All areas within the Napier City Council owned accommodation facility will be smokefree. “This is part of our sustainable and guest wellbeing practice. We are happy to support the New Zealand Government’s goal of a smoke-free country by 2025. Society in general is becoming very health conscious, and we need to move with this and support the health and comfort of our guests,” says David Aflallo, Kennedy Park Manager.

It also aligns with Kennedy Park’s commitment to the Qualmark sustainability initiatives to create a “greener future”, says Mr Aflallo, and is in keeping with the facility signing up to Tourism Industry Aotearoa’s sustainable tourism commitment.

The main goal of this industry led initiative is to see every New Zealand tourism business committed to sustainability by 2025.

Kennedy Park is also a supporter of Tourism New Zealand’s Tiaki Promise, aimed at  ensuring international visitors care for people, places and culture now and into the future.

Napier City and Hastings District Councils decided to share a smokefree policy in 2016, in support of the 2025 goal. One of the purposes of the policy has been to reduce the impacts of smoking and tobacco use on non-smokers, including reducing exposure to secondhand smoke and de-normalisation of smoking.

Since the policy’s adoption both Councils have encouraged café premises with tables on publicly owned land to become smokefree, aka fresh air zones. All parks, playgrounds, sportsgrounds and reserves (apart from beach reserves), the Hastings City Square/Central Plaza, and bus stops, shelters and areas around bus signs or bus stop markings are smokefree.

All Council facilities are smokefree, and event organisers using Council facilities, parks, playgrounds, sportsgrounds and reserves are expected to make sure their events are also smokefree.

Kennedy Park also installed a free electric vehicle charger for guests earlier this year.

The more charging stations there are, the more likely people will be to hire electric vehicles when they go on holiday. It will also encourage drivers of EV vehicles to visit Napier, knowing there is a place to stay where they can recharge, says Mr Aflallo.

More on Kennedy Park’s sustainability initiatives can be found on their website: www.kennedypark.co.nz

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