FEATURE
NEW ZEALAND
ENTERS POTENTIAL
BOOM PERIOD
THE NZ GOVERNMENT CALLS FOR MORE ACCESS, AND BUSINESSES ARE
STEPPING UP TO PROVIDE FOR A GROWING NUMBER OF NEW VAPERS
We’re only a couple of months in, but
2019 is already proving to the beginning
of a potential boom period for New
Zealand’s e-cigarette industry.
The government of New Zealand has been
steadfast in its commitment to going smoke-free
by 2025. A closer embrace of the domestic vaping
industry may be on the table, as with only a few
years left, the pressure is mounting.
The country’s smoking rate is falling, now standing
at just under 14 percent. Though this marks the
continuation of a consistent fall, it does not reflect
the full potential a fully-optimised anti-smoking
movement could achieve with vaping pushed as
a cessation option, and some politicians in the
opposition are voicing their concerns.
Nicky Wagner, MP, (pictured) has confronted the
government over its reluctance to make full use of
e-cigarettes as a method to reach their ambitious
goal.
“The Ministry of Health has highlighted the
potential for vaping to be used as a smoking
cessation tool to help achieve Smokefree 2025,
and yet the government will not move to make
e-cigarettes and vaping devices more accessible,”
she said.
Wagner praised the yearly tax excise increases
on tobacco but insists they won’t break through
to the most addicted smokers who need nicotine
replacement rather than deterrence.
"These year-on-year increases have achieved
their purpose in reducing smoking rates and now
we must help our most ingrained smokers who
are not put off by price by providing an alternative
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like vaping."
Wagner has put forward the Smoke-free
Environments (Regulation of E-Cigarettes)
Amendment Bill, which she insists will save the
government time by both boosting and regulating
the country’s vaping industry, providing grounds
for compromise between the trade and those who
have their concerns about its unresolved issues.
"These regulations would prohibit sales to under
18s, allow the ability to encourage vaping on
tobacco products, ensure there are appropriate
rules around advertising, set quality standards,
require the Ministry of Health to approve products
and prohibit vaping in smoke-free areas."
The comparatively high smoking rate of New
Zealand’s Maori community has been a focal
point of the government’s smoke-free mission,
with Maori women aged 18 to 24 smoking at a
worryingly high rate of 38 percent.
Wagner insists that the early days of a new year
mark a time of self-improvement for citizens,
especially smokers, and the government must act
quickly to use this momentum.
Vape companies are doing their part to strike
while the iron is hot. On January 1, New Zealand
saw the launch of its first ever vaping price
comparison site – VapePrices.co.nz.
The Auckland-based site describes itself as
“PriceSpy for vapers” and promises to “help Kiwis
compare the prices of different mods, kits, and
liquids from all of the major retailers across New
Zealand.”
A press release from VapePrices claims the site
is seeing 800 to 1,000 unique visitors per day.