Listen Now: 
Download AudioASPIRE Aotearoa says Māori youth vape daily at nearly three times the national average, despite overall declines.
The Action for Smokefree 2024 Year 10 Snapshot Survey shows Māori high school vaping rates have dropped from 32% in 2023 to 29.4% in 2024, with a significant decrease for Māori girls, from 38.7% to 34.9%.
ASPIRE Aotearoa senior researcher Andrew Waa says slow-moving legislation struggles to keep up with the tobacco industry, making long-term change difficult.
He says youth vaping cessation programs similar to those for youth smoking are needed.
“There’s a strong call for more support to get them off the vapes, but I’d say role modeling, supporting young people in terms of being exposed and decisions that they’re making. But I also wouldn’t say it’s a young person’s problem. We’ve created this problem allowing this stuff to get into our communities in the first place,” says Waa.
Andrew Waa says New Zealand is still a decade away from fully understanding the health impacts of vaping.
RELATED NEWS
