The New Zealand government officially implemented major revisions to the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act on June 17, 2025. The most eye-catching of these is the complete ban on the sale and supply of disposable e-cigarettes (commonly known as disposable vapes) that cannot be recharged and refilled. This move marks a firm and resolute step taken by the country to reduce youth smoking and vaping.
As one of the few countries in the world that is determined to crack down on youth vaping, New Zealand has implemented laws to increase fines for selling e-cigarettes to minors as early as December 17, 2024: if commercial units sell illegally, the fine will be reduced from the previous NZ$10,000 to NZ$100,000, and a series of measures such as increasing fines for violations will also increase penalties on retailers. These preliminary measures are a prelude to lay a legal foundation for a comprehensive ban on the sale of disposable vapes in June 2025.
Studies have shown that the main reason why teenagers prefer disposable vapes is that they have low entry barriers, beautiful packaging, rich flavors, and are cheap and easy to obtain, making them an important way for minors to try nicotine products. This ban aims to block this entry and prevent the spread of nicotine dependence among young people. This move is particularly necessary and timely for the health of teenagers and the public interest of society.
The terms of the ban are clear and rigorous: all disposable vapes that cannot replace the atomizer core by themselves, cannot be refilled, and cannot be recharged will be completely banned from sale, manufacture, and import from June 17. At the same time, the display of vape products in general retail stores is also strictly controlled to prevent the appearance of products that induce teenagers in the window, and e-commerce platforms will also remove vape product images and advertisements.
Despite the comprehensive ban on disposable vapes, the regulations retain the legal status of reusable, rechargeable, and replaceable pod system vapes. In fact, the New Zealand government has not completely denied the value of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation tool, but has focused more on preventing teenagers from easily contacting nicotine with disposable vapes. This distinction means that the e-cigarette industry still has room for development, but the product form needs to transform towards a sustainable and safe direction.
This political initiative echoes the global trend: several countries or regions such as the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, and France have also banned disposable vapes in a similar period or later, believing that they are highly attractive to teenagers and cause environmental pollution. New Zealand has stood at the forefront of this global public health trend.
From the perspective of social impact, this measure is both controversial and brings positive opportunities. Supporters believe that the ban on disposable vapes can minimize the way teenagers are exposed to vapes; opponents worry that too fast restrictions may cause some adults to smoke again, or give rise to underground markets and smuggling channels. However, the government has tried to reduce the above risks in practice through supporting provisions such as strengthening fines for underage sales and retail regulations, making the shift to rechargeable and replaceable devices the mainstream.
For vape brands like VEEHOO, this ban is both a challenge and an opportunity. VEEHOO is an e-cigarette brand originating from the UK, with industrial design and fashion culture as its core positioning. It has strong R&D capabilities in the field of rechargeable pods and cartridge replacement systems. They have already laid out rechargeable and cartridge-changing devices. For example, the S10 multi-functional e-cigarette is equipped with Type‑C charging, replaceable core atomization, smart prompts and other functions, achieving a balance between nicotine intake, safety and experience. Its 650mAh battery and more durable performance are obviously more in line with the compliance requirements of New Zealand’s new regulations.
VEEHOO’s transformation strategy is clear: its Chinese subsidiary issued an announcement as early as the beginning of 2025, responding to New Zealand’s policy of banning the sale of non-rechargeable devices, comprehensively adjusting its product line, strengthening the research and development of rechargeable replaceable mechanisms, strengthening child lock packaging and other functions, ensuring that future product lines comply with new regulations, and promoting compliant local cooperation through OEM/ODM. They emphasize actively fulfilling their social responsibilities, avoiding selling vapes to teenagers, cooperating with the government to strengthen youth protection publicity, and reflecting the brand’s responsibility.
From an industry perspective, this move promotes the development of the vape industry to be healthier and more sustainable. The environmental issues of disposable vapes have also been paid attention to; with a large amount of electronic waste flooding the environment, New Zealand’s ban is setting off an environmental protection trend. Reusable devices not only reduce waste, but also make it easier to set up recycling plans, which also promotes resource circulation.
For adult smokers, this policy does not close the door to smoking cessation tools. The government retains the sale of rechargeable pod systems, emphasizing the auxiliary significance of vape in public health. In addition, the new regulations allow vape to be promoted as a smoking cessation aid in medical and detoxification services, ensuring that regular smoking adults still have channels to switch to lower-risk products and avoid switching back to paper cigarettes due to policy switching.
In the long run, the ban on the sale of disposable vapes can better achieve New Zealand’s “Smokefree2025” goal, that is, to reduce the daily smoking rate to less than 5% by 2025. The role of e-cigarettes in adult smoking cessation is more sustainable if it is given equal importance to youth prevention and control. If brands like VEEHOO continue to launch legal and compliant devices and combine them with health education and recycling mechanisms, they can also become industry benchmarks to promote the transformation of the entire industry.
We can also observe how the market adjusts after the ban. For example, Co‑op Wholesale in the UK has withdrawn disposable vapes in advance and replaced them with rechargeable and replaceable devices and non-heated nicotine bags, and provided retailers with affordable alternatives to maintain turnover. This idea is worth learning from the New Zealand vape market.
In general, New Zealand’s ban on the sale of disposable e-cigarettes from June 2025 is a policy with profound public health significance. Its purpose is to protect the health of young people and reduce nicotine dependence in young groups, while not cutting off the path for adults to switch to lower-risk products. From the perspective of regulatory planning, the ban is combined with multiple measures such as increased fines, visibility control, advertising restrictions, and market structure adjustments to demonstrate a systematic governance approach.
Against this background, brands like VEEHOO are just in time for an opportunity to upgrade their industry. With its many years of research and development in replaceable, rechargeable, and multifunctional smart vapes, coupled with clear compliance planning and social responsibility, VEEHOO can not only comply with New Zealand regulations, but also become one of the mainstream equipment suppliers in the future.
In the future, we look forward to establishing a more sustainable public health ecology that is “smoke-free but retains adult smoking cessation tools” through standardized vape product promotion, continuous youth health education, and strengthening recycling mechanisms. If VEEHOO can continue to launch compliant, safe, environmentally friendly, and design-oriented equipment, and cooperate with education and promotion, it will have the opportunity to become an industry pioneer and role model.
Tags: ceramic atomizer core, underage protection, flavored e-cigarettes, veehoo vape
