The Health Coalition Aotearoa welcomes the Government's leadership in outlining vaping regulations and recognising widespread concerns about vape marketing. These regulations recognise vapes could help smokers move to a less harmful source of nicotine while also acknowledging we must protect children from getting hooked on nicotine.

The Smokefree Expert Advisory Group of the Health Coalition Aotearoa, an umbrella organisation for the health advocacy, healthcare and academic sectors, congratulates the government on introducing this needed legislation.

The advisory group has prepared a discussion paper on vaping and e-cigarette regulation to inform individuals and organisations preparing Select Committee submissions on the Government’s Bill.

Chair of the group, Shayne Nahu from the Cancer Society New Zealand says, “People have varied views on what the specific regulations should look like, but all agree the Government needs to step up and set the rules, not the industry. Right now, it’s clearly not working and the best place to debate these views is through the Select Committee process.”

University of Auckland Professor Chris Bullen, a member of the group says, “We urgently need to move away from the current unregulated vaping market, and towards one where vaping products are provided safely for smokers to switch away from tobacco.

“At the same time, we need to reduce the potential risk of nicotine vaping uptake by non-smokers, especially children and young people, and substantially reduce the availability of tobacco.”

The Bill is only one piece of the jigsaw puzzle, the group say.

University of Otago Professor Janet Hoek, a member of the group says “It’s essential that the Government also proceeds quickly with its promise to introduce an action plan setting out how Smokefree Aotearoa will be achieved for all peoples. This plan should include a comprehensive range of measures that will minimise smoking uptake by young people and maximise smoking cessation among smokers.

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