Goals and objectives

What was the purpose of the project? To increase awareness about the Smokefree 2025 goal and the increasing cost of smoking on families, as well as to sign up smokers to local the Aukati Kai Paipa cessation services in Taranaki.

Target audience

Parents of children playing rugby league at two final events – one in New Plymouth playing Hawera and one in Opunake playing Waitara- all age group games and the public in Hawera at a separate public event.

Project fit with 2025 aims

Increases the number of people trying to quit. Made people aware of the Smokefree 2025 goal.

What happened

We attended two big rugby league events during May. One in New Plymouth and one in Opunake. These games went for 4 hours and involved lots of teams and their parents. We went around the sidelines with our trolley full of groceries worth $40 and had a notice about how these groceries were the same price as two packets of cigarettes. Smokers could sign up to be phoned by Aukati Kai Paipa services about their cessation programme. Everyone who signed up went in the draw to win the groceries.
Also there was a public day in Hawera’s square on benefit day – Tuesday 26 May. Once again the trolley was there and also information about the quit services in Hawera. The trolley of groceries was once again drawn from the people who signed up with the cessation service.

Partners

Taranaki Cancer Society, New Plymouth Heart Foundation, Tui Ora, Taranaki DHB Public Health Unit, Tui Ora’s Aukati Kai Paipa service and Ngati Ruanui’s Aukati Kai Paipa service.

Key outcomes

We had 20 people sign up over the three events. All of these people were followed up by the appropriate cessation service and were joined on to a programme. 

Key learnings

• We used two events that were already happening in May and had a high attendance of Māori families.
• A third game which was to be played in Waitara was cancelled due to the condition of the rugby field. It was played in Hawera instead and due to the travel time staff were unable to commit to it
• Rugby league doesn’t have as many smoking families as it used to have. The senior games may have been a better target with the young players. We found it quite difficult to find smokers. With the smokers we did find some had either tried everything to quit and were over it or others were the true die hard who weren’t ever going to give up.  Our public event outside Pak n Save supermarket last year on benefit day produced more smokers at one event.