‘New’ vape rules delayed, disposables still available
Most of the Government’s already announced vaping restrictions won’t be enforced until October, leaving parents concerned and angry.
The delayed regulations include vapes requiring removable batteries as well as childsafety mechanisms, meaning disposable vapes can continue to be sold for the next six months without restriction.
Associate Health Minister Casey Costello said the reason for the extension was to ensure quitting smokers had access to disposable vapes, as well as having time to make sure regulations could not be worked around by manufacturers.
“For that reason, we wanted to ensure that there is still an adequate supply of reusable vapes available for over-18s,” she explained.
“Other countries are addressing this problem too, so we want to align our efforts and ensure regulations align with international standards.”
Costello stated the Government had not had consultation or lobbying from the industry before the decision. However, now decisions have been made, “I will be talking to the vaping industry and to other groups to make sure that we get the right regulations in place.”
Anna Stewart, co-founder of Vape Free Kids NZ, has been fighting to get vapes off the shelves after her son became addicted.
On Wednesday, she and four other founders met Costello. The outcome, Stewart said, was nothing short of disappointing.
“The key takeaway that we got loud and clear from Casey Costello today was that she would much rather prioritise the convenience of smokers over the preservation of health for young people,” she said.
“She’s not proposing anything that we can see is ever likely to reduce the availability.”
According to the New Zealand Health Survey, daily vaping rates between ages 15 and 17 were shown to have increased from 8.3% in 2022 to 15.4% in 2023 – an estimated 32,000 teenagers. Stewart is arguing that numbers like these show the harm vaping has done, especially in youth.
However, Costello said vaping has also been an important tool in stopping New Zealanders from smoking. “Vaping is far safer than smoking tobacco and it's a key reason that 230,000 people stopped smoking over the last three years,” she said.
An estimated 550,000 New Zealanders vape daily.
Stewart, like many other parents, wants stronger action. She is calling for a reduction of vape stores that operat, more Smokefree enforcement officers and the delayed regulations to be put into place immediately.
As for Smokefree enforcement officers, the Ministry of Health confirmed 35 are currently active, with 16 set to be hired. They're tasked with regulating almost 100 vape stores, as well as thousands of dairies, gas stations and supermarkets.