Smoking is slowly being stubbed out among Wanganui students, the latest Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) survey shows.
The anti-smoking lobby group released its snapshot survey of New Zealand's Year 10 students yesterday, and it highlighted that the smoking rate among them has continued to drop since the first survey in 2000.
National daily smoking rates were shown to have fallen below 3 per cent for Year 10s for the first time, with Wanganui achieving below the national average of 2.7 per cent - a significant drop from last year's survey when the daily smoking rate among Wanganui students was 5.7 per cent.
Ash spokeswoman Stephanie Erick said: "We believe that the continued decline in smoking rates is fantastic news and we commend local services in their commitment to a smokefree New Zealand for our children.
"It's more important now than ever to recharge the batteries and continue to tackle smoking through sustained legislation, particularly for our Maori and Pacific communities."
The survey found ethnic, gender and socio-economic disparities among 14 to 15-year-olds. Maori girls were three times more likely to be daily smokers than either girls or boys of other ethnicities.
Of those, more than 90 per cent were from low and medium socio-economic areas.
The results of the Year 10 survey had been collated into fact sheets, which had been released to the tobacco control and larger health sector across the country, providing a concise overview of the latest information on youth smoking in New Zealand, Ms Erick said.
"Ash sees these results as a useful overview and guide for local services, to help shape their annual plans in response to demand in their region. We see these services as crucial in supporting children through prevention and intervention."
The survey is the 16th annual Ash Year 10 survey. It is one of the largest youth smoking surveys in the world and the most reliable source of information in New Zealand regarding youth exposure and attitude towards smoking. It is a Census-style questionnaire that surveys about 30,000 students every year on their smoking behaviour and attitudes.