Whangarei District Council has resolved to have the mayor write to Prime Minister John Key, calling for a ban on the sale of tobacco products on January 1, 2025.

The man behind the movement, councillor Brian McLachlan, has struggled to give up. He says he's had enough, and many other smokers feel the same.

"Giving up is easy. It's the day after, and the day after that, that's the hard part," he says.

"As soon as you start smoking, addiction sets in with a craving that totally subverts your freedom to choose. So when your routine is the same and you know you can buy cigarettes, you're not going to stop.

"What I need, now, is simply not to have cigarettes available at the places where I go to fill up my car, buy my groceries or last-minute stuff at the dairy. Whether I can see the smokes or not, I know they're there, and I know I can get them."

McLachlan says what he and other smokers need is to not have cigarettes freely available.

"You can ban smoking from yet more places and push me to a place where I stand out in the rain and feel like some sort of second-class citizen. That may have solved your problem, but it hasn't solved mine. I still need a cigarette."

Northland DHB smokefree adviser Bridget Rowse says Whangarei will be leading the way when it calls on the government for a ban on sales.

"It's saying if you guys [central government] are committed let's actually firm that commitment," she says.

"A lot of smokers have tried to give up. Like [McLachlan] said it's remaining smokefree that's the hardest. We have such great quit services in the region, but then something happens - maybe you come under some stress - and you relapse."

McLachlan says he is not advocating for smoking to become illegal, and overseas tourists would still be able to bring in tobacco for personal use.

Rowse agrees, but says the duty-free tobacco allowance is about to decrease.

She cannot see a ban having an effect on tourism.

"There's a number of countries that are increasing smokefree environments and doing similar stuff to us . . . We don't see it as a detriment. It adds to the clean green image," she says.

"I don't think people will not come to New Zealand because they can't smoke, that's not what they travel for."

McLachlan won universal support from councillors when he tabled the issue at a recent meeting. Members of the public applauded and called out "kia kaha" as the motion to lobby central government was passed.