Coast vape retailers—take note.

A big shake-up to vaping rules is landing next month, and there’ll be no wiggle room once it hits.

From 17 June, Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health are introducing strict new regulations aimed at curbing youth vaping. These include:

• A total ban on disposable vapes
• No more vape ads in-store or in newsletters
• Online retailers can't show product images or link to overseas pages
• Hefty fines for non-compliance

Specialist vape stores will also be barred from promoting products to their existing customers—a move that signals just how serious the Government is about limiting young people’s access and exposure to vaping.

Dr Corina Grey, Director of Public Health, says enforcement will be swift and focused.

“There’s no grace period,” she confirmed, adding that compliance officers will be visiting stores with these new rules top of mind.

While some changes began rolling out in December—including increased fines and new buffer zones around early childhood centres—this next batch is the toughest yet.

The new laws align vaping promotion more closely with the tight restrictions already placed on tobacco products.

For Coasties, this will likely mean changes to how vape shops in places like Silverdale, Orewa and Whangaparāoa look and operate.

Retailers may need to adjust window displays and signage, and some products could vanish entirely from shelves.

Why it matters?

Vaping among young people has skyrocketed in recent years, and the Coast is not immune.

These changes aim to reset the balance—keeping support in place for those quitting smoking while making it harder for under-18s to pick up a vape in the first place.

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