James Mullins is fine with vaping in Wellington's Botanic Gardens but thinks smokers should be courteous and light up on the footpath outside.

Wellingtonians overwhelmingly want to see smoking banned in more parts of the capital, including bus stops and the Botanic Gardens.

A survey of people's attitudes towards smoking appears to have delivered Wellington City Council a mandate for change, as it looks to add Civic Square, the waterfront and more outdoor areas to its smoke-free list.

Overall, 84 per cent of the 1329 people surveyed – smokers and non-smokers alike – supported the capital becoming more smoke-free.

ROSS GIBLIN/FAIRFAX NZ Tamy and Tamsen Trendell say Wellington's Botanic Gardens would be ruined if cigarette butts were littered everywhere.

More research will be done before the council decides in April 2016 where it will widen Wellington's smoking ban to.

But the most popular suggestions from the public were the entrances to public buildings – including libraries, swimming pools and recreation centres – bus stops, the Wellington Botanic Gardens and Otari-Wiltons Bush.

The council currently discourages smoking in banned areas with signage rather than enforcing it with fines. But the survey revealed considerable support for an enforceable bylaw.

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Councillor Paul Eagle said the public response to widening the smoking ban had been so positive he thought Wellington should take the bold step of becoming a smoke-free city by 2025.

That would mean smoking rates of less than 5 per cent across all populations in the capital. Currently 9.5 per cent of Wellingtonians are smokers.

But Eagle said he would be hesitant to start fining smokers, as the move could be viewed negatively.

"We don't want to have the smoking police in Wellington," he said. "It's better that people understand this is being done for health reasons, rather than as a revenue gathering tool."

Smoking is already banned in Wellington's playgrounds, skate parks, sports fields, Midland Park, Wellington Zoo, Zealandia and council housing, except where designated areas exist.

The survey suggested this was not common knowledge, as only 58 per cent of those surveyed correctly identified playgrounds as smoke-free, while only 32 per cent knew smoking was banned at sports fields.

Tammy Trendell, who was among the thousands enjoying the sights and sounds of the Botanic Gardens on Sunday, said she fully supported a ban on smoking there.

"It's not so much the smoke, because you're outdoors and it blows away. It's more the litter ... I'd hate to see cigarette butts scattered everywhere."

Her husband Tamsen Trendell, who smoked for 15 years before giving up a week ago, said it might be fairer to create a designated smoking area at the gardens, so smokers could still visit without feeling they were being discriminated against.

"Smokers can appreciate beauty as well."

James Mullins, who also smoked until he switched to electronic cigarettes 18 months ago, said he did not think it was too harsh to ask smokers not to light up inside the Botanic Gardens.

"The footpath isn't too far away."

Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) director Stephanie Erick said the positive response from Wellingtonians to a smoking ban was unsurprising and reflected a microcosm of what was happening around the country.

But it was crucial the council seized upon the positive feedback and took action to ban smoking in more areas.

Masterton, Carterton, South Wairarapa, Kapiti, Upper Hutt, Hutt City, Porirua, central Hawke's Bay, Napier and Hastings all have similar smoke-free policies to Wellington. Smoking is banned near council buildings, facilities, reserves, parks, sports fields and playgrounds.

WHERE WELLINGTONIANS WANT SMOKING BANNED

* Entrances to public buildings (89 per cent support)

* Bus stops (82 per cent)

* Wellington Botanic Garden (74 per cent)

* Otari-Wiltons Bush (73 per cent)