December 01, 2025

Youth vaping drops, smoking remains very low – a promising sign, but not all wins are equal

Matthew Tukaki Posted On December 1, 2025

New Zealand’s latest youth survey shows a significant fall in vaping among school-aged young people, while daily smoking rates remain extremely low.

According to figures released on 30 November 2025:

Among Year 10 students (age ~14-15) the proportion who reported vaping at least once a month has halved compared with its peak.
The number vaping daily has dropped to about 7.1 % – down from around 10.1 % in 2022.
Meanwhile, daily smoking among young people is now “negligible” – around 1 % or so of Year 10s report daily cigarette smoking.

These trends suggest strong progress on two fronts:

The long-term decline in youth smoking continues, aligning with the vision of a “smoke-free generation”.
The reversal of the vaping surge among youth may indicate that regulation, public health messaging, and shifting youth perceptions are having effect.

From a public-health standpoint, reducing both smoking and vaping among young people lowers the risk of nicotine dependence, long-term respiratory harm, and early-life health inequities.

While the overall trends are positive, the data and commentary highlight areas where inequities persist – particularly for Māori youth. For example:

Although youth vaping rates have fallen overall, Māori teenagers still report higher daily vaping rates (~16.5 %) compared to non-Māori.
Experts warn that while smoking rates are very low overall, some groups – including Māori and Pacific youth – remain at greater risk of nicotine product uptake and associated harms.
The “negligible” smoking rate among youth masks the fact that adult smoking (including among Māori adults) remains higher, and early uptake still matters for long-term outcomes.

Several factors likely contributed to the decline in youth vaping and smoking: strengthened regulation (including age limits, packaging rules, retail restrictions) and shifting social norms around nicotine.

For Māori communities, there is particular opportunity and challenge:

Opportunity: A generation of Māori youth who avoid smoking and perhaps vaping has a strong foundation for improved health outcomes, less exposure to tobacco-related illness and better intergenerational wellbeing. Challenge: Unless the gains are equitable and sustained, Māori young people may still face disproportionate exposure to nicotine, vaping products or illicit access – which risks perpetuating health inequities rooted in colonial-era patterns of tobacco harm.

Will the downward trend in youth vaping continue – especially beyond Year 10 and into older adolescents? Will Māori youth benefit equally from the decline, and will targeted interventions ensure the gap narrows rather than persists? How will public health efforts shift now that the “crisis” of youth vaping appears to be receding – will investment and attention maintain or fade?

What role will culturally grounded approaches (in Māori language, tikanga, whānau-centred design) play in sustaining the reduction among Māori youth? Given that adult smoking remains a challenge for Māori and other priority populations, how will the transition from youth prevention to adult cessation be managed holistically?

The drop in youth vaping and the very low rate of youth smoking in Aotearoa are encouraging signs – milestones worth acknowledging. But for Māori rangatahi and whānau, the story is more complex: the promise of a smoke-free, nicotine-safe future is real only if it is shared equitably. Ensuring Māori leadership, culturally responsive interventions and ongoing vigilance will be key to converting these positive trends into enduring health gains.