Source: Asthma and Respiratory Foundation
Vaping is far from under control, with new figures showing a worrying rise in use among teens.
The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ warns that the latest Health Survey -showing daily vaping among 15-17-year-olds has climbed from 10.3 per cent to 13.6 per cent in a year – highlights a serious issue.
Foundation Chief Executive Ms Letitia Harding says this escalation raises serious questions about whether current measures are anywhere close to adequate.
“An increase like this doesn’t happen by accident.
“It tells us the protections in place simply aren’t enough.”
The survey also showed that vaping among 18-24-year-olds is also unacceptably high at 23 per cent, Ms Harding says.
These new figures echoed those from the Foundation’s latest nationwide youth survey – the 2024 ARFNZ/SPANZ/NZAIMS Vaping in New Zealand Youth Survey.
It found high vaping use among older secondary students.
In 2021, 17% of Year 12s and 13% of Year 13s reported vaping in the last seven days. In 2024, those figures have risen to 20% for Year 12s and a striking 26% for Year 13s.
Foundation Māori Community Liaison and youth vaping educator Ms Sharon Pihema says the new figures are a clear sign that things are still heading in the wrong direction.
“A rise from 10.3% to 13.6% daily vaping in just one year shows how easily these products are still reaching our teenagers.
“The fact is 15-17 year olds aren’t legally old enough to purchase vapes, so this big increase shows the system has truly failed to protect them,” she says.
“If access was genuinely under control, we wouldn’t be seeing increases like this.”
The lack of adequate resourcing for prevention and education is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore, Ms Pihema says.
“The Foundation is doing everything it can with the capacity it has – all with no support from government.”
The Foundation has been running vaping education workshops in schools for years, Ms Pihema says.
“We even met with Associate Health Minister Casey Costello asking for financial support to run these workshops, but we are always turned down.
This year, the Foundation strengthened prevention through a new community Train-the-Trainer programme endorsed by the NZ College of Respiratory Nurses.
The initiative equips educators, youth workers and whānau advocates with the tools to teach rangatahi about the harms of vaping.
The Foundation wants to see the Government halt the establishment of further Specialist Vape Retailers (SVRs), ban the sale of vapes in general retailer stores, limit the nicotine content of all vape products to 20 mg/mL, and re-examine the prescription model.
