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December 13, 2025
Ati Awa Toa Hauora Partnership Board Opposes Push for Vaping in Māori Health Services
Waatea Team
Posted On December 13, 2025
The Ati Awa Toa Hauora Partnership Board has formally voiced its opposition to moves by health authorities to require Māori health providers to promote vaping products as part of smoking-cessation services – a stance made in response to growing concerns over rising harm to rangatahi and whānau.
In a strong statement released this week, the board – which represents a collective of iwi and Māori health interests – said that attempts to “push vaping” through stop-smoking programmes risked exposing tamariki and rangatahi to nicotine dependency, undermining efforts to achieve long-term Māori health outcomes.
The Partnership Board noted that vaping products, originally introduced as a potential tool to help smokers quit, have increasingly become popular among young people in ways that mirror patterns of nicotine uptake previously seen with cigarettes. Instead of reducing harm, the board says, these products are creating new health challenges for Māori youth – a trend it describes as “deeply concerning and counter-productive.”
The statement emphasises that Māori-led health services – grounded in tikanga and kaupapa Māori frameworks – must be supported to deliver culturally appropriate cessation approaches that prioritise whānau wellbeing and avoid introducing potentially addictive alternatives. The board criticised what it sees as a one-size-fits-all approach, urging policymakers to respect provider autonomy and Māori perspectives on health.
“Aotearoa’s Smokefree goals cannot be achieved by shifting dependency from one nicotine product to another,” the board said. It reaffirmed the need for kaupapa Māori strategies that strengthen whānau resilience and reduce harm without normalising vaping among rangatahi.
The position of the Partnership Board aligns with concerns raised by other public health groups and Māori providers who argue that vaping, while marketed as harm reduction for adult smokers, has significant unintended consequences for young people, particularly in communities where targeted marketing and social uptake are increasing.
Advocates are calling for more robust regulation of vaping products, tighter age-access controls and education campaigns that clearly differentiate the roles of cessation tools from recreational use among tamariki and rangatahi.
The board’s opposition adds momentum to debates over how best to balance quit-smoking support with protection of youth – and how Māori health providers can lead in designing effective, culturally grounded solutions.
Radio Waatea will continue to follow developments as Māori health leaders, policymakers and communities engage in this important conversation about vaping, youth harm and Māori wellbeing.
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