Data reveals that primary school children are developing a vaping addiction.
Temporary suspensions for vaping or smoking at school increased by 19 percent.
Ministry of Education data has revealed that more primary school students than secondary school students in New Zealand are being caught vaping or smoking at schools.
Last year, more children in years 1 to 8—primary school aged—were stood down (temporarily suspended) for those acts than those in years 9 to 13—secondary school aged. This was true in six of the ministry’s 10 regions.
That is despite data from the New Zealand Health Survey, released in December last year, which showed that the daily vaping rate of those aged between 15 and 17 increased from 8.3 percent in 2021/2022 to 15.4 percent the following year.
The survey also revealed that more than one in four of those aged 18 to 24 vape daily—six times as many as five years ago.
The total number of students of all ages suspended for vaping or smoking increased by 19 percent on the previous year.
Addicted and ‘Brazenly Puffing Away’
While the statistics did not separate vaping and smoking, vaping is the bigger issue according to principals who spoke to media after the release of the report.
one that “some students were so severely addicted they would brazenly puff away in the classroom.”
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The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 prohibits vaping in schools and early learning services, and every educational facility has its own policy banning the practice.
Sharon Pihema, the Asthma and Respiratory Foundation’s Māori community liaison, is a dedicated youth vaping educator and visited over 80 schools in 2023.
She said children “as young as eight years old [are] now addicted to vaping. It just shows how bad the epidemic is and how long it will stay if we don’t act now.”
The Foundation’s CEO Letitia Harding said, “Now, our country is in a position of chasing its tail, all the while our rangatahi [young people] are becoming addicted to something they should never have been able to get their hands on in the first place.”
Harder Line
New Zealand Principals’ Federation President Leanne Otene said principals were concerned, but had exhausted available avenues to try and stop the practice.
“After educating and working with young people, they really are left with no choice but to take a harder line on it,” she said.
“We should all be concerned about this. This is not a problem that primary schools, or secondary school principals and their staff can deal with alone.”
Vape-Free Kids co-founder Tammy Downer accused the government of not taking the issue seriously.
“People think that this is all kids just playing around, and it’s cool, and it’s appealing, and they’re just trying to look cool,” she said. “Actually a lot of these kids are seriously addicted to it, they can’t concentrate in class, they can’t learn.”
Education Minister Erica Stanford said in a statement that she was concerned about vaping and smoking in schools, particularly in the primary sector.
“The NZ First/National coalition agreement includes policies to ban disposable vaping products and increase penalties for illegal sales to those under 18,” she said. “Health officials have been asked to provide advice on the practical steps that will help stop young people from starting smoking and vaping.”
In December, new regulations came into force requiring vapes to have a removable battery, in an effort to make them no longer disposable. But the available alternatives sell for the same price, so the change appears to have had little effect.
A poll in May last year showed poll more than two-thirds of New Zealanders wanted to
adopt similar laws to those in Australia and make vapes available by prescription only.
