Vape-Free Kids NZ Position Statement

Vape Free Kids NZ advocate on the behalf of the kids, parents, families and educators living the devastating impacts of youth vaping.

Summary of our position

The factors impacting youth vaping are many, and as such the response required to protect our youth needs to be multi-faceted. We implore the Government to take action in four areas:

Reduce the availability of vapes through the reduction and licencing of retailers, setting minimum retail pricing, introducing mandatory age verification for online sales and actively monitoring and enforcing all regulations.
Reduce the appeal of vapes to youth through restricting the display or promotion of vape products in all retailers, including online, limiting flavours to tobacco and menthol and introducing plain packaging with warning requirements.
Establish and fund nationwide stop vaping support services designed for youth and their families that integrate with other youth support agencies to provide comprehensive wrap-around support.
Establish an education programme targeted at youth and the wider community to raise
awareness of the harm caused by vaping and address the perception of it being safe.

How vaping is impacting Aotearoa New Zealand youth

Vaping rates amongst youth have skyrocketed over the last three years. The latest NZ Health Survey shows 15.1% of 15–17-year-olds are vaping dailyⁱ. Increasingly younger children are vaping, with more stand-downs for vaping happening at primary schools in many regionsⁱⁱ.

Children are being exposed to vaping every day in their communities.

On their walk to school, every dairy, gas station and supermarket as well as over 1500 specialist vape stores (SVR)ⁱⁱⁱpromote and display vape products. Insidious targeted advertisingiv infiltrates their digital lives with vapes just a click away at over 150 online SVR’s^v- just tick a box to say you’re 18 and they can be delivered anywhere. Vapes can be purchased for as little as $10, with some retailers regularly giving them away free in promotions.

Vulnerable communities are most at risk.

Our Māori and Pasifika children are more exposed to vaping due to higher rates of vaping in their communities^vi and a higher density of retailers in their environmentvii. They are also more likely to be see advertising for vape products^viii.

Nicotine addiction is stealing their education.

Unable to concentrate in class, disrupting their own learning and the learning of those around them. They are missing school due to continuously circulating viruses spreading as vapes are shared. High-achieving athletes are dropping out of the sports they loved; respiratory symptoms making it impossible to keep up.

Children and families looking for help are turned away.

Stop smoking services are not funded to support vapers or those under 18^ix. There is no funded support for schools. Recurrent doctor visits are expensive and ineffective. The children trying, yet unable, to stop vaping fall into depression and self-loathing, trapped by the addiction, and constantly triggered by the presence of vaping all around them.

The true effects of nicotine

The impacts shared above are real and devastating. These are not just kids experimenting.

Nicotine is highly addictive, comparable to opioids and cocaine^x. Children’s developing brains are highly sensitive to nicotine, with as little as 5mg enough to establish an addiction^xi. Nicotine addiction in youth wreaks havoc on their brain, disrupting the brain circuits in the areas of the brain responsible for attention, learning, mood and impulse control^xii. The addiction disrupts sleep patterns^xiii, increases symptoms of depressionxiv and can lead to lower academic performance^xv.

The evidence and insight behind our position

Availability

The proliferation of vape retailers has led to an estimated 7500 stores that now sell vapes across New Zealand. This compares to 1092 pharmacies^xvi, and 3216 off-licence alcohol retailers^xvii. Every main street up and down the country is littered with vape retailers, many of which are metres from schools.

The absence of any licencing framework means there is no control over the number or location of these retailers, bar the regulation to restrict SVR’s within 300m of a school or marae introduced in September 2023 (when SVR’s were already at over 1300). This glut of stores has significantly contributed to the normalisation of vaping, with our children seeing it everywhere they turn.

Enforcement of current vaping regulations is insufficient. The sheer volume of retailers makes it impossible for the small number of enforcement officers to effectively monitor compliance. The process behind enforcement is slow, taking up to a year to reach prosecution of repeat offenders, with the interim fines of $300-$1000^xviii of little deterrence to retailers. Should an individual ever reach prosecution, they can only be prohibited from selling vapes for up to three months^xix.

Vaping products are highly affordable, with vapes able to be purchased for as little as $7 with buy-one-get-one free promotions common. Disposable vape products have created the behaviour of vapes being used and discarded, resulting in an excess of used devices in easy reach of children and teenagers. Hundreds of babies and young children are being poisoned every year by vapes^xx. The commonly held perception of vaping being a safe alternative to smoking has even led to some adults enabling youth vaping by purchasing vapes for them.

Appeal

Since their introduction to New Zealand, vapes have been flagrantly targeted at youth. Colourful
displays attract their interest - SVRs are brightly lit, blasting music, some even with arcade games, while general retailers display vapes on or behind the counters in full view of all children visiting the store – unlike tobacco, which is locked away out of sight. Children are highly susceptible to advertising^xxi.

Online vape store resemble candy stores, easily accessed by children by simply clicking a check box. Vapes are delivered with little to no safeguards to stop them getting into the hands of children under 18^xxii.

The vast array of flavours in vapes are highly appealing to youth and are commonly cited as one of the main reasons youth first try vaping^xxiii. The sweetness and coolness of the flavours mask the aversive taste of nicotine. The use of flavours is shown to be higher among youth vapers than adult vapers^xxiv.

Analysis of the ASH Year 10 surveys shows 89.5% of daily vapers have never smoked or only tried smoking once^xxv. Once addicted, studies show youth vapers are three times more likely to take up smoking than their non-vaping peers^xxvi.

Support

The sensitivity of the developing brain to nicotine creates a double-edged sword for youth – they become more quickly addicted while their still developing, and now compromised, brain means they are less equipped to quit^xxvii.

Quit smoking services are not funded or resourced to support youth addicted to vaping, with those seeking help turned away. Nicotine addiction in children and teenagers affects the whole family and as such, services need to be designed to support both the individual and the family.

Schools are grappling with vaping addiction. Behavioural outbursts occur as students struggle with the urge to vape^xxviii, unable to concentrate, leaving class to vape or even discreetly doing it in the classroom. Others are continually missing school as they deal with recurring respiratory infections or viruses spread by students sharing vapes. Managing vaping related issues takes significant resources
that are redirected from other educational activities.

Education

The combination of the government and health services heavily promoting vaping as a safe alternative to smoking, along with years of unregulated industry advertising of vaping as a desirable lifestyle product has led to the strongly held perception by youth and adults alike of vaping being ‘not that bad’.

In the face of escalating vaping rates, it is critical to educate both youth and the general public on the risks of vaping through a wide-reaching campaign.

Schools also needed to be supported with resourced education programs targeted to both primary and secondary aged children and teenagers.

Our appeal for action

Previous attempts to regulate vaping have not worked for the youth of New Zealand Aotearoa.

Vaping rates continue to rise with no signs of slowing. We simply cannot let our youth become the next generation of nicotine users lining the pockets of big tobacco. We urge you to take your responsibility to address youth vaping seriously. Listen to the experts, listen to the families, and most of all, listen to the children. Make the choices that prioritise their health and their futures.