Asthma and Respiratory Foundation chief executive Letitia Harding says New Zealand's vaping regulations do not go far enough. File photo. Photo: 123RF
A health campaigner says New Zealand should follow suit and ban the importation of single-use vapes after new rules took effect in Australia on New Year's Day.
The move was part of Australia's national crackdown on vaping, with refillable non-therapeutic vapes also to be banned later.
Asthma and Respiratory Foundation chief executive Letitia Harding said it was a strong move from Australia, but New Zealand regulations did not go far enough.
"It will be good to see 2024 with the government looking at this seriously, and how we can really combat the use epidemic that we do have when it comes to vaping.
"I think that banning disposable vapes completely is a good idea. It's great to have the reduction in nicotine content."
She also wanted the prescription model to be reviewed, with reduced accessibility.
The latest New Zealand Health Survey, published in December 2023, showed the rate of those using electronic cigarettes or a vaping device at least once a day had increased over the past five years, from 2.6 percent in 2017/18 to 9.7 percent in 2022/23.
Rates were highest among those aged 18 to 24, with 25.2 percent in that age group vaping daily.
The survey also showed a jump in the number of 15-17-year-olds vaping daily, with 15.4 percent doing so in 2022/23, compared with 8.3 percent in the 2021/22.
Daily vaping was found to be more common among adults living in the most deprived neighbourhoods (15.8 percent), compared with a rate of 4.4 percent for those living in the least deprived neighbourhoods.
And rates for Māori and Pacific adults were higher still, at 23.5 percent and 18.7 percent respectively.
The new government has vowed to reform the regulation of vaping, smokeless tobacco and oral nicotine products while banning disposable vaping products, consider requiring a liquor license to sell vapes and increase penalties for illegal sales to those under 18.
