Why start?

In New Zealand, fewer people now smoke than at any other time in the last 150 years. The percentage of people who smoke is going down. More smokers than ever are trying to quit.

The majority of New Zealanders support the Smokefree legislation that bans smoking in public places. Most young people say that smoking does NOT make you look good, cool, sexy or help you make friends. Most young people think smoking looks ugly and 'try-hard'.

People often start smoking because they want to 'fit in' with a certain group. Or they want to 'get attention', 'rebel', 'make a statement' or 'feel independent'.

At first, most people actually hate the taste of cigarettes. They cough, vomit and even faint. But over time they get hooked. They become addicted to the chemicals in cigarettes.