Tikipunga Primary School

Tikipunga Primary School in Whangarei proudly boasts a 100% smokefree staff in recognition that a totally smokefree school, including its teachers, provides positive and healthy role models for students. It is a powerful way of supporting the community to encourage young people to stay smokefree.

Staff members supported their colleagues to quit smoking, in recognition that when children see their teachers smoking, it sends mixed messages about the harms of smoking. Research shows that the more children are exposed to smoking, the more likely they are to think that smoking is normal.

Tikipunga Primary’s principal, Donna Donnelly says “We need to protect our children from tobacco so they don’t start smoking”.