New Zealand has been more open-minded about vaping than their Ausie neighbours of late.

The latter still has stringent rules when it comes to it, while New Zealand is taking a more low-risk approach. Last year August, the New Zealand Ministry of Health added smokeless tobacco products like snus and inhaled nicotine to a list of legalised products as part of the Smoke-free 2025 campaign. In March, the country took another positive step towards becoming a smoke-free society by announcing that all tobacco products except those that are chewed or dissolved in the mouth may be lawfully imported, sold and distributed under the Smoke Free Environments Act 1990. This also means that e-cigarettes will be legalised.

New Zealand made the decision to yield a low-risk approach to vaping although research is still being developed as it feels that there is a general global consensus that vaping is indeed less harmful than smoking.

The country is in the midst of legalising vaping products to be imported, sold and distributed. This will give the Ministry a chance to observe the impact vaping has on smoking; and also, the effect on the smoking rates.

The sale of vaping products will still not be available to children under 18 and vaping will still be banned in no-smoking areas.

This is a big step forward for New Zealand and the vaping industry as a whole. We welcome the forward-thinking nature of countries like New Zealand.