95bFM New study shows vape stores clustered around schools
15 May, 2025
Interview by Max Micheel, adapted by Alex Fox
A recently released study shows that almost half of all schools in New Zealand have a specialised vape store located within a 10-minute walk.
This follows the previous Labour Government passing a bill in 2023 halting specialist vape retailers from opening 300 metres away from schools and marae.
However, this legislation only applied to new stores; those already running, and those general retailers selling vapes, were left untouched.
The study found that 44% of schools have a vape retailer within a kilometre. 13% of those have one closer than 300 metres, the boundary set by the 2023 policy.
Fourth-year medical student at the University of Auckland who led the study, Ronan Payinda, told 95bFM’s The Wire we need to address the more “sinister elements of the vaping industry” and how they affect the youth in Aotearoa New Zealand.
He says that despite vape retailers claiming to target older demographics trying to wean themselves off of nicotine products — the marketing of vapes shows the opposite.
“We're seeing things like flavours, colours, and media promotion that are clearly tailored to our younger audiences.”
Despite research into the long-term effects of vaping being ongoing, Payinda says what we are currently seeing is concerning.
“… what this really is it's a new generation of addiction to nicotine products.”
“[What we are seeing are] things like poor sleep, poor concentration, irritability, and then common things like local effects like a sore throat and a dry cough.”
However, he says early findings of the long-term effects of vaping are showing detrimental health outcomes — especially for young people.
“We are starting to see studies that suggest things like damage to lungs, damage to blood vessels, and long-term impacts on respiratory and cardiovascular health. The evidence is still not fully there, but it's still growing.”
“… so we know that because of these early associations, it's likely that we're putting our young people at risk when they're facing a lifelong addiction of vaping.”
While Payinda says the prior government’s 2023 policy was “a step in the right direction,” he believes it was “tokenistic,” as the legislation only impacts new retailers and not existing ones.
“[The legislation] basically failed to address all the hundreds of retailers that were already selling vapes in these areas, and it basically left the door open for existing, profitable vaping marketers.”
Payinda’s research and enforcement of existing laws show what he describes as “cover-ups”; dairies and corner stores covering up their vaping sections when investigated or audited, before opening them back up again, and continuing business as usual.
He says addressing these concerns will help young people move away from vaping.
“If we really want to make a conscious decision to protect our young people, then we need to shut down these loopholes that are basically allowing extreme proximity to our young people from vaping commercial agents.”
“We need to actually back up our policies with adequate enforcement to make sure providers can't circumvent the law and sell to our most vulnerable young people.”
