Smoking, vaping, HTP, NRT and snus in New Zealand

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New Zealand Background

8.6% of the adult population are current smokers

There are approximately 364,000 current smokers in New Zealand

Country profile

Data sourced: 2025. Page updated: 2025-11-05

Smoking in New Zealand

In New Zealand there has been a continued decline in current smoking prevalence in the past two decades. Smoking prevalence declined from 20.1% in 2006/07 to 15.7% in 2016/2017, with a further drop to 10.9% in 2021. For men, current smoking prevalence has reduced steadily over this period, from 21% in 2006/7 to 17% in 2016/17, and down further to 14.1% in 2020. For women, current smoking prevalence has decreased from 19% in 2006/7 to 14% in 2016/17, declining further to 11.3% in 2020.

3,580

Deaths

3,580 people die every year due to tobacco smoking in New Zealand.

12.7 million €

Market size of NRT.

NRT market size is estimated to be 12.7 million €.

Details & datasheet on smoking in New Zealand

Nicotine Vaping Devices

in New Zealand

E-cigarettes are legal in New Zealand, with regulations covering product safety, packaging, and sales. Based on these regulations, new products must be notified before entering the market, and containers are required to be child-resistant. Health warnings are mandatory on packaging, and sales are restricted to people aged 18 and over. There are also limits on nicotine strength (no higher than 20 mg/ml), but no restrictions apply on flavour range. Use of e-cigarettes in public places is also regulated. E-cigarettes can be legally purchased online and are available through general retail outlets. Health claims about e-cigarettes are permitted, and currently, there is no excise tax applied to these products.
In 2021, an estimated 316,500 people in New Zealand were reported to be current vapers. The adult current e-cigarette vaping prevalence in 2023 was estimated to be 11.9%. This was 7% among females and 9.5% among males. The number of daily vapers was recorded to be 239,300. The adult daily vaping prevalence was 6.2% with a daily prevalence of 5% among females and 7.5% among males. In a survey conducted in 2021 in the country, 25.2% of respondents stated that they had tried e-cigarette vaping.

Details & datasheet on vaping in New Zealand

Heated Tobacco Products

in New Zealand

In 2018, a New Zealand District Court decision permitted the sale of heated tobacco products under the 1990 Smoke-free Environments Act. The case was Philip Morris International (the makers of IQOS) vs. New Zealand's Ministry of Health. The law regulating heated tobacco products states they should not be sold or advertised to minors (under 18 years). The New Zealand Ministry of Health has stated that it plans to develop a risk-proportionate regulatory framework for products covered by the 1990 Smoke-free Environments Act, which includes heated tobacco products.

Details & datasheet on HTP in New Zealand

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

in New Zealand

Estimated NRT market size is 12.7 million €.

Details & datasheet on NRT in New Zealand

Snus

in New Zealand

Used in Scandinavia for more than 200 years, snus is providing smokers in Sweden and Norway with an alternative to combustible cigarettes. Find out what it is, and why it is considered a safer nicotine product in our briefing paper.

Details & datasheet on snus in New Zealand

Pouches

in New Zealand

Nicotine pouches are a relatively new product which can provide users of high-risk tobacco with an alternative that poses fewer risks to their health. Read more about nicotine pouches in our briefing paper

Details & datasheet on pouches in New Zealand

Top Stories from New Zealand

December 04, 2025 by tobaccoreporter.com

Story

NZ Minister Grilled Over Oral Nicotine Plan

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello was questioned about the government's plan to permit oral nicotine products, despite denying ties to the tobacco industry. Costello emphasized harm reduction and safety precautions to prevent youth access. Labour's Dr. Ayesha Verrall cautioned against potential new addictions in youths, urging Costello to follow expert advice before introducing the products. Public health researcher Dr. …

Regions: Oceania New Zealand

Health select committee erupts into heated debate over roll out of oral tobacco and nicotine products

December 03, 2025 by rnz.co.nz

December 02, 2025 by clearingtheair.eu

Story

Youth vaping halves in New Zealand

Youth vaping in New Zealand has drastically decreased, halving in two years. The ASH …

Regions: Oceania New Zealand

December 01, 2025 by gfn.tv

Story

GFN News #165 | WHY NEW ZEALAND WAS SHAMED FOR REDUCING SMOKING?

In this exclusive GFN News interview, Joanna Junak speaks with Nancy Loucas, CAPHRA Executive Coordinator, about the fallout from COP11 in Geneva and the controversial Dirty Ashtray Award given to New Zealand.

Regions: Global

FCTC Principles Abandoned For Ideology

December 01, 2025 by scoop.co.nz

New Zealand receives 'Dirty Ashtray' award for poor progress in tobacco control

November 19, 2025 by rnz.co.nz

COP 11: The “dirty ashtray” award goes to…New Zealand?

November 19, 2025 by clearingtheair.eu

November 28, 2025 by rnz.co.nz

Story

Why New Zealand failed to reach its Smokefree 2025 target

New Zealand is struggling to meet its Smokefree 2025 target as smoking rates decline …

Regions: Oceania New Zealand

October 10, 2025 by nzherald.co.nz

Story

Health NZ seeking to give more vaping kits to smokers wanting to quit, talks up PR benefits to suppliers

Health NZ's pilot programme provided vapes to 29 smoking cessation programs. Approximately 33% of …

Regions: Oceania New Zealand

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The GSTHR database is updated regularly by our team. However, please be aware that the information we provide does not constitute legal advice. We cannot guarantee that the information is up to date or accurate, as the regulatory status of different product categories can change at short notice and with little publicity. If you wish to check the legal status of use or possession of any safer nicotine product in a specific country or region, you should verify the information independently. If you have reason to think that the information supplied on the GSTHR is inaccurate, please contact us with details and any references and we will rectify any errors.

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