Researchers in a smoking study say teachers - particularly early childhood Maori language teachers - should be targeted to quit smoking.
The Otago University study shows 45% of pre-school Maori language teachers are smokers, almost double the national rate, and three times higher than the average for workers in so-called "role model" occupations.
That has sparked concerns their influence might rub off on students, even as youth smoking rates drop.
"It sort of undermines a bit the message of the health effects of smoking," said Professor Richard Edwards from Otago University, who led the study.
Anti-smoking figures show fewer young people are being tempted to take up the habit - from almost 30% of year ten students in 1999 to less than half that number eight years later.
However, Edwards says those figures are not the full picture.
"You'll actually find that older groups, say 16 to 20 year olds, there's been very little change," he said.
"So although we've being quite successful at stopping younger children smoking, it doesn't seem to follow through."
One teacher ONE News spoke to defended her kohanga reo colleagues.
"They would never smoke in front of the children. Ever. They always make sure they go and be away from the children where they cannot be seen," said Maori language teacher Harata Williams.
But Edwards says they need to be targeted so the trend is not passed on.
"Support to help smokers to quit should be targeted at occupational groups that have high smoking rates and who may influence children, young adults and smokers - for example through their position of authority or high visibility in the community," he said.
"Addressing smoking among key occupations will be an important factor to achieve the Government's goal of reducing smoking to near zero by 2025."
Others occupations that had smoking rates close to or above the national average were: Prison officers (28%), nurse aides (27%), the armed forces (25%), social workers (23%), hospital orderlies and ambulance officers (24%), professional sportspeople (21%), teacher aides (21%), and actors, dancers and singers (20%).
The study showed doctors, unsurprisingly, had the lowest rate of smoking.
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