Demise Of Big Tobacco Looms With Rise Of Vaping

A new study into the prevalence of tobacco carried out by KPMG gives a strong insight into the true impact vaping has had since it was introduced.

“In 2017 less than 1% of New Zealanders were vaping and according to the KPMG survey, tobacco consumption remained stubbornly high at 2087 tonnes. In 2019, vaping numbers reached 3.3% and for the first time New Zealand saw a meaningful drop in tobacco consumption of 81 tonnes to 2006 tonnes. This was followed by an increase in vaping rates to 8.3% in 2022 when New Zealand embraced vaping as a quit-smoking tool which coincided with a rapid drop in tobacco consumption rates to 1384 tonnes, with health experts attributing this 31% decline in smoking over just three years, to the disruptive force of vaping,” says Jonathan Devery, Chair of the Vaping Industry Association of New Zealand (VIANZ).

“With our smoking rates currently sitting at around 8%, New Zealand’s smokefree success is globally celebrated. The sharp decline in smoking numbers is clearly attributed to our evidence-based vaping legislation which has promoted equitable access aligned to public health objectives. But with 5000 people still dying each year from smoking-related illnesses, health professionals are in strong agreement that now is not the time to become complacent,” adds Devery. “Further, with the proven success of vaping under our current settings heavily reducing smoking consumption - now is not the time to be making any drastic changes to those settings.”

“VIANZ agrees with University of Otago Professor of Public Health Janet Hoek’s comments that our current smokefree settings do not seem to be promoting a black market, and the KPMG study supports this. Unlike Australia, New Zealand has created regulations that promote our smokefree ambitions by providing consumers with a range of vaping products that include a sufficient level of nicotine to help people quit. Professor Hoek’s view that people are primarily using vaping as their source of nicotine to step away from smoking aligns with public health data,” says Devery.

The importance of effective nicotine vaping products remaining readily available to support people quitting smoking is critical, especially as low-nicotine cigarettes are introduced.

“If we don’t provide viable nicotine substitutes, then the black-market issue experienced by Australia could become a reality here,” concludes Devery.

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