No one knows how many vape shops there are in New Zealand
New Zealand struggles to accurately count its vape retailers despite increasing regulations and political promises to cap store numbers.Summary
New Zealand faces significant difficulty in determining the exact number of vape retailers operating within the country. While political leaders from both major parties previously promised to cap the number of stores at 600, thousands remain active. The discrepancy in figures arises from different registration categories: Specialist Vape Retailers (SVR), which require Ministry of Health approval, and General Vape Retailers, such as dairies and supermarkets, which only require notification.
Estimates from the Ministry of Health suggest there could be over 7,000 individual stores, yet current official registrations account for significantly fewer. This gap may be due to businesses failing to register or the dynamic nature of the market. While vaping rates among adults have risen significantly, surpassing smoking rates in recent years, youth vaping appears to be on a downward trend.
Public health advocates argue that the ubiquity of vape shops normalizes the product for young people and calls for stricter limits on store numbers and locations. Conversely, the Vaping Industry Association of New Zealand (VIANZ) warns that reducing access could drive users toward illicit markets and hinder smoking cessation efforts.
(Source：The Spinoff)
