Her comments follow a media investigation which revealed Customs is currently seizing around 125,000 smuggled cigarettes and 155 kilograms of loose tobacco every month.

New Zealand Customs describes it as a lucrative market. In fact, it’s thought to be eight times more profitable than cocaine – and one which has attracted organised crime. Large scale, commercial-grade cigarette smuggling operators are now well established.

It’s spurred on by the fact that New Zealand has the most expensive cigarettes for legal purchase in the world.

“With the Government set to get even tougher on the appeal and availability of legal cigarettes, there is a concern it will only lead to more illicit cigarette smuggling. It doesn’t have to be the case though, particularly if smokers are activity encouraged to switch to safer nicotine products,” says Nancy Loucas, co-director of the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA).

Associate Health Minster Dr Ayesha Verrall is now finalising the Government’s Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan after releasing a discussion document for public consultation which closed on 31 May.

AVCA is highly supportive of getting tough on combustible tobacco given 5,000 Kiwis continue to die every year from smoking-related illnesses. It’s concerned, however, that the discussion document was light on vaping’s key role in achieving smokefree. It has pushed for vaping – the world’s most effective smoking cessation tool – to feature more in the final smokefree action plan.

“We’ve got to get more Kiwis successfully off the cancer sticks in the first place, otherwise many will head to the black market. If we can switch them from cigarettes to vaping, not only will it save countless lives, but it will put a hole in organised crime,” she says.

The head of AVCA says the latest media revelation exposing the sheer scale of cigarette smuggling completely discredits recent claims by University of Otago public health experts published on 27 May.

Titled ‘Illicit tobacco trade and the Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Goal: Arguments and Evidence’, the research analysis concluded that ‘NZ’s illicit tobacco market is small and unlikely to grow substantially.’

“We knew they were wrong then, but they’ve now been proven woefully out of touch. They argue getting tougher on legal smoking won’t make much difference at the border. AVCA argues it will be an absolute nightmare for Customs, unless many more smokers are actively encouraged to switch to vaping,” says Nancy Loucas.

Her comments follow a frontpage nationwide newspaper story, headlined ‘Vaping – at 10’.

“Why don’t we see ‘Smoking – at 10’, ‘Drinking – at 10’, ‘Drugs – at 10’ media stories? It’s all about vaping, which is ironic given it’s the least harmful,” says Nancy Loucas, co-director of Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA).

AVCA believes the publication of increasingly negative vaping stories is no accident.

“Just when Cabinet is about to approve the Ministry of Health’s latest vaping regulations and finalise Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall’s smokefree action plan, out come the attacks on vaping. Given vaping is New Zealand’s most effective smoking cessation tool, some balance in the debate is well and truly overdue,” says Ms Loucas.

She says while reported youth vaping anecdotes are deeply concerning and unacceptable, they’re not supported by any significant empirical evidence to date.

What’s more, last year’s Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act axed all vaping advertising and made youth access much harder, as well as ensures tougher regulations around packaging, promotions, and displays.

Flavour restrictions for general retailers will also come into effect in August – a move which AVCA strongly disagrees with, believing it will only make it harder for adult smokers to successful quit deadly combustible cigarettes.

“After examining a survey of over 27,000 secondary school students, University of Auckland researchers last year found that only 0.8% of 14 and 15-year-olds, who had never smoked, were regular vapers. Researchers subsequently confirmed there was no youth vaping epidemic in New Zealand,” she says.

Given that vaping over the past decade has been key to reducing New Zealand’s overall smoking rate to a record low, AVCA was disappointed the Government’s recent Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan discussion document largely overlooked vaping as a key component to achieving smokefree.

“Vaping has saved thousands of ex-smoking Kiwis’ lives. It’s time for greater perspective. It’s also time for the Government to fully roll out its agreed Vape to QuitStrong campaign and perhaps a specialised, balanced education programme for schools – both would help dispel the lies some continue to espouse.

“The Government also needs to get really tough at point of sale. If any retailer breaks the law and sells vaping products to minors under 18, the book must be seriously thrown at them,” says Nancy Loucas.

AVCA says balanced stories about vaping would see the media approach the likes of ASH, Hapai te Hauora, and the NZ College of Physicians on their experiences and views on vaping’s critical role in achieving smokefree.

“It’s easy to get emotional, but let’s stay focused on the evidence,” she says.

For example, Public Health England, in its 2018 independent evidence review, concluded that ‘e-cigarettes are around 95% safer than combustible cigarettes.’

“New Zealand’s 200,000 vapers just want a fair go. All that alarmist media stories do is ostracise the many ex-smokers who’ve successful quit cigarettes via vaping,” says Nancy Loucas.

Petition organiser, Nancy Loucas, who is co-director of Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA), said the whole process has been incredibly disheartening, with 17,357 Kiwis who signed the petition dismissed outright despite mounting evidence.

Launched in 2019 ahead of the Government’s vaping legislation being introduced, AVCA’s petition to Parliament requested: ‘That the House of Representatives debate the Government’s proposal to limit flavoured nicotine e-liquids to mint, menthol and tobacco’.

However, passed last year, the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act paved the way for heavy flavour restrictions on general retail outlets such as supermarkets, service stations, and convenience stores.

From 11 August, general retailers will be limited to selling just mint, menthol and tobacco vape flavours. Only specialist vape stores will be able to sell a wide range of flavours.

“Last year inadequate time and attention was given to the submission process with Parliament sitting on my petition for months. MPs only referred it to the Health Select Committee after they’d passed the vaping legislation on 5 August. Then the Ministry of Health dismissed it, before the select committee finally got around to throwing it out just now. It’s all been very disappointing,” says Ms Loucas.

‘We believe that the proposal to limit vaping flavours has been adequately canvassed and debated, both by the Health Committee of the 52nd Parliament during the select committee stage and in the House,” concluded the select committee on 11 June 2021.

The leading Tobacco Harm Reduction advocate says the Ministry’s logic for limiting flavours was completely flawed, wrongly referring to overseas statistics which do not resemble New Zealand’s reality.

“All the scientific evidence supporting smokers’ access to a wide range of vape flavours was ignored. The only winners in all of this are the multi-national tobacco giants,” she says.

AVCA is now holding out for Associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall’s smokefree action plan, and the latest round of Ministry of Health vaping regulations due for Cabinet sign-off soon.

“Let’s not forget over 17,000 Kiwis signed AVCA’s petition. That support, and all the international evidence backing flavours as key to smoking cessation, has not gone away. In fact, it has only strengthened.

“If the Government’s Smokefree Aotearoa 2025 Action Plan is to succeed, vaping must be elevated as the safer alternative and popular vape flavours must remain accessible to adults desperate to quit deadly cigarettes,” says Nancy Loucas.

To read the Health Select Committee’s final report on AVCA’s petition, visit: https://www.parliament.nz/resource/en-NZ/SCR_111760/681f3dce4cb5e42bb8713c5f5e85808e4a3309d7

“The overwhelming majority of vape retailers are responsible, requesting age identification, and only selling to those who can prove they’re 18 years or older. It’s disappointing then when media stings reveal a few retailers continue to break the law,” says Nancy Loucas, co-director of the Aotearoa Vapers Community Advocacy (AVCA).

Since the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act took effect in November last year, it has been illegal to sell vapes and vaping liquids to minors, regardless if they contain nicotine or not. Prior to that, an industry code saw vape manufacturers and retailers agree not to sell to under 18s.

“Retailers have had long enough to know right from wrong. I respect the Government’s initial focus is on educating retailers about the new law, but it’s now time to move onto enforcement. There are some tough legislative sanctions for those retailers who continue to let everyone down, and it’s time they faced the consequences,” says Ms Loucas.

AVCA has long supported the formalisation of vaping as an R18 activity and mandatory product safety standards. However, it describes one new regulation as over the top – hitting adult smokers trying to switch to considerably less harmful vaping.

From 11 August, vape flavours will be limited to just three – mint, menthol, and tobacco – in general retail such as supermarkets, service stations and convenience stores. AVCA says this ill-conceived move could hinder the national Smokefree Aotearoa goal.

“Adult smokers love fruit and dessert vape flavours, so limiting their availability to specialist vape shops will simply mean fewer adult smokers quitting cigarettes. It will not mean fewer minors vaping. That is best achieved by getting really tough on the likes of any wayward dairy owners who continue to sell to school kids,” she says.

Nancy Loucas says it’s refreshing Associate Health Minister Ayesha Verrall is determined to reboot efforts around Smokefree Aotearoa. Key to achieving that, she says, will be elevating vaping in the Government’s smokefree action plan as the go-to smoking cessation tool, and ensuring good access to vape products for those keen to quit smoking.

“Point of sale is where you get tough and stop minors, not limiting the most popular flavours to adults desperate to kick the cancer sticks,” she says.