Daily smoking rates flat-line, youth vaping keeps rising - NZ Health Survey

Daily smoking rates have flat-lined after dramatic falls in previous years, while vaping among younger people continues to rise.

According to the annual New Zealand Health Survey:

• The prevalence of daily smoking was 6.9 percent in 2023/24 - nearly the same as previous year (6.8 percent), but down from 16.4 percent in 2011/12
• The estimated number of daily smokers decreased from 573,000 to 300,000 from 2011/12 to 2023/24
• Daily vaping prevalence was 11.1 percent, up slightly from 9.7 percent the previous year
• The estimated number of daily vapers increased from 33,000 to 480,000 over the 8 years from 2015/16 to 2023/24
• Daily vaping has increased more quickly in younger age groups, especially those aged 15-17 and 18-24 years. Increases in daily vaping in these age groups exceed decreases in daily smoking

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello - who has been criticised by public health experts for rolling back smokefree laws and giving health officials a document that claimed "nicotine is as harmful as caffeine" - said the government was committed to the Smokefree 2025 goal.

A "final push" to get people to quit smoking would build on what had worked to date and target the groups who most need support, she said.

"Most of the survey data shows a continuation of the great progress that's been made in the last few years - especially with falling numbers of Māori smokers and very low rates of youth smoking," Costello said.

"Early next year I will also take proposals to cabinet for an improved regulatory regime around all nicotine and tobacco products with a view to having a system that is aimed at reducing harm, that is coherent across products, and enforceable."

That included beefing up monitoring, compliance and enforcement and "addressing black market tobacco".

The minister also announced that Cabinet on Monday approved the annual tobacco excise increase. It will increase by 2.23 percent from 1 January 2025.