In New Zealand, vaping is helping to slow the decline in smoking among young people.

A study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific[1] highlights that the rise in vaping in New Zealand/Aotearoa could hinder progress in reducing smoking among teenagers, while exacerbating inequalities between Maori and Oceanian youth and other ethnic groups.

The study, conducted between 2003 and 2024 as part of the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) survey of 600,000 students aged 14 to 15, reveals that the rise of vaping coincided with a marked slowdown in the decline of regular smoking, particularly among young Maori and Pacific Islanders, who are already more exposed to the harmful effects of tobacco than other populations. Public health officials have called for strong measures to combat the vaping epidemic and its consequences.

Vaping may slow progress in reducing smoking among young people

Researchers from the universities of Otago, Auckland and Sydney, in collaboration with the Daffodil Centre in Australia, compared smoking trends between 2003 and 2009, before the rise of vaping, and those from 2010 to 2024, a period when electronic cigarettes became widespread.

They note that after 2010, the decline in smoking slowed overall. This phenomenon is, however, more pronounced among young Maori, Pacific Islanders, and Europeans. It is less noticeable among Asians. In 2024, the proportion of regular smokers reached 6.2% among Maori, 3.3% among Pacific Islanders, and 2% among Europeans.

According to the researchers, if previous trends had continued, these rates would have been much lower: 4.2 %, 1.8 % and 0.7 % respectively.

In other words, for every 1,000 students, in 2024 there would be approximately 20 more Maori, 15 more Oceanians and 13 more European regular smokers than expected.

Among different ethnic groups, the prevalence of vaping varies. This differentiated trend in smoking is linked to varying levels of consumption. In 2024, regular vaping affected 29% of Maori, 19% of Pacific Islanders, 11% of Europeans, but only 4% of Asians. Thus, in groups with high vaping rates, the decline in smoking is slower.

A matter of public health and social justice

According to Dr. Andrew Waa, a researcher at the University of Otago, these results contradict the idea that vaping serves as a harm reduction tool for young Maori and Pacific Islanders.[2]On the contrary, it has become a major new source of nicotine addiction, with its own health risks.

Indeed, he notes that the nicotine epidemic has shifted from tobacco to vaping: according to the Ministry of Health, in 2023-2024 the daily smoking prevalence among adults aged 15 and over was 6.9%, while the daily vaping prevalence was 11.1%.[3]The estimated number of daily vapers has increased from 33,000 to 480,000 between 2015 and 2024, which can only encourage new generations to start vaping, which is more socially accepted than tobacco.

The researcher also emphasizes the ethical and political dimension of the problem: before colonization, the Maori were not exposed to nicotine. Today, this addiction compromises their autonomy and their collective health.

" The rise of vaping appears to have undermined efforts to reduce regular smoking, particularly among young Māori and Pacific Islanders who were already suffering disproportionate consequences from tobacco use. " explains Dr. Lucy Hardie, a public health researcher at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.

Andrew Waa is therefore calling on the government to implement effective and robust public health policies. This includes ending all forms of nicotine addiction, including e-cigarettes, reducing health inequalities, and protecting young Māori from the commercial determinants of health. Andrew Waa is appealing to the government's commitments under the Treaty of Waitangi concerning the rights of indigenous peoples and international obligations regarding health equity. He is also reminding public authorities of the implementation of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), ratified by New Zealand on January 27, 2004.

The UNFCCC, in particular through Article 5.3, obliges countries to ensure the independence of public health policies from tobacco industry interference. This obligation is currently not being met in New Zealand, whose efforts to create a tobacco-free generation were hampered in 2023 by the election of a conservative coalition government. Its new Minister of Health, Casey Costello, has faced criticism. for its links with the tobacco industry and the controversial use heated tobacco And vaping kits in its national smoking cessation strategy.

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[1]Egger S. et al., Trends in smoking prevalence before and after the emergence of vaping in Aotearoa/New Zealand among 14–15-year-olds identifying as Māori, Pacific, European, or Asian: an interrupted time series analysis of repeated cross-sectional data, 2003–2024The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, published November 4, 2025, accessed November 5, 2025

[2]University of Auckland, Vaping widening inequities in youth smokingPublished on November 5, 2025, accessed the same day

[3]Ministry of Health NZ, Trends in smoking and vaping: New Zealand Health SurveyUpdated on September 19, 2025, accessed on November 5, 2025

National Committee Against Smoking |