Visitors to Auckland Zoo will be told to stub out their cigarettes from Saturday or leave.
After complaints from the public, the Auckland City Council-owned zoo said it was going smoke free at the weekend for the first time in its 88-year history.
Visitors who wanted to smoke could have a puff in a designated area outside before they entered the zoo or get a leave pass to go outside to light up before returning through the main entrance.
The zoo's new policy coincided with World Smokefree Day on Monday and was prompted partly by customer complaints, said zoo board chairman, councillor Graeme Mulholland.
He said the smokefree move was in line with the zoo's move to create a healthy environment.
"The zoo is a place where Aucklanders and visitors to Auckland come to see unique wildlife, and we want to make sure that their whole experience will be enjoyable. This is why the board has endorsed a smokefree policy," he said in a statement.
More than 580,000 people visited the zoo each year, and the zoo said it expected few complaints about the new smokefree policy.
Many visitors believed the zoo was already a smokefree environment, said visitor services manager, Natalie Hansby.
