100 signatures reached
To: Te Kaunihera a Rohe o Te Hiku Far North District Council
Protect Our Youth – Ban Vape Shops in the Far North District
.png "Picture of 2 youth sports teams with text \"Protect Our Youth – Ban Vape Shops in the Far North District\"")
Ko mātou ngā waitohu i raro nei, e tono atu ki Te Kaunihera o Te Hiku o Te Ika kia tiakina te hauora me te oranga o tō tātou hapori, mā te whakatau ture kia oti katoa ngā toa haurehu, ā, kia rāhuitia te hoko haurehu i ngā takiwā katoa o te rohe nei.
We, the undersigned, call on the Far North District Council to take urgent action to protect the health and wellbeing of our community, by immediately passing regulations to close all Vape shops and ban all Vape sales in all districts.
As parents, we care deeply about the long-term health and wellbeing of our tamariki. There is a shortage of doctors and dentists in the Far North, and healthcare services are stretched thin. We must ensure that our tamariki do not have access to products that contribute to addiction, respiratory illness, and other serious consequences [1,2].
Our children should be able to attend kura without having to walk past multiple vape shops. In the main streets of Kaitaia and Kaikohe, there is a vape shop nearly every 40 meters. While selling vapes to children under 18 is illegal, it is still happening; in fact, the Ministry of Health found that 1 in 10 vape retailers sells to minors [4]. Vaping is harmful to everyone's health, but it poses even greater risks to children whose brains are still developing [5].
Our local area is a good place to start with these policies. As a youth health worker in Kaitaia stated, “I think a more achievable first step is to lobby our local council to introduce a bylaw that bans sales in our rohe. If we can make that happen locally, it could help build a strong case for national policy change.”
These vape outlets have spread rapidly across Muriwhenua, and we are already noticing signs of addiction in our rangatahi, along with a new wave of health issues on the horizon.
Why is this important?
Ngā Take 10 Hei Hainatia i Tēnei Petihana TOP 10 REASONS TO SIGN THIS PETITION
- Kua piki haere te haurehu a ngā rangatahi—me tū ngātahi tātou te aukati i tēnei mate urutā. Youth Vaping Epidemic - vaping is spreading fast among rangatahi (young people), and it's becoming a serious health issue. Daily vaping among New Zealand teens has nearly doubled in one year, with 25.2% of 18–24 year-olds now vaping daily. Among Māori youth, this rate is even higher at 21.7% [6].
- He mōrearea tūturu ki te hauora. The health risks are real — vaping isn’t as safe as purported. Vaping is linked to respiratory conditions, nicotine addiction, and impaired adolescent brain development. Emerging evidence also suggests a potential connection to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cardiovascular risks (New Zealand Doctor, 2005). [7]
- Ko ngā kamupene haurehu e pūpuri ana a tātou mokopuna i te mate. Vape advertising is targeting our kids [7] — and our kids are becoming addicted. It looks nice. It tastes nice. It's addictive. It makes you feel good. Flavoured vapes, bright packaging, and social media marketing are deliberately designed to attract young users. Some schools in Northland have reported finding children as young as 11 using vapes [8].
- Ka nui te utu ka utaina ki te ohanga ā tōna wā roa. Vaping might look cheap now, but the long-term costs to our health system and communities are massive. Treating vaping-related health conditions will place a growing strain on our healthcare system and taxpayers. Meanwhile, profits flow largely to multinational tobacco corporations.
- He pānga kino tō te haurehu ki te taiao. Disposable vapes are polluting our whenua, waterways, and oceans — and they’re piling up fast [9].
- E whakakāhore ana ētahi atu kawanatanga o te ao hei ārai ēnei taputapu haurehu, me pēnei hoki tātou o Aotearoa . Around the world, governments are stepping up to protect young people from vaping. The Cook Islands has demonstrated bold leadership by banning the sale of vapes and raising the smoking age to 21 [10]. We can take bold measures, too.
- Ka puta mai ngā toa hoko haurehu ki kō, ki kō, ki ngā wāhi pātata ki ngā kura, ki ngā hapori, ki ngā kainga maha. Hanga tōmuri kē ngā ture o te rohe. Vape shops are popping up everywhere — and the rules aren’t keeping up. As of mid-2023, there were over 1,200 specialist vape retailers registered in New Zealand [11]. Many operate through loopholes such as 'stores within stores,' making regulation difficult and we are now seeing global franchises such as “Shosha” stores penetrate our community.
- Horekau he ture ā-rohe hei mimiti i ēnei āhuatanga raru ki te hāpori, ki a tātou mokopuna me ngā paru e panaia ki a Papatuānuku. Without local rules, vape shops are popping up everywhere — and our communities, our kids and the environment are at risk : The Far North District Council is currently the only Northland council without a smokefree/vapefree policy for public spaces. This leaves places like playgrounds and beaches unprotected.
- Ka whakapau taima ngā kaiako te aru haere i ngā take haurehu i roto i ngā kura . Kāhore e pai te haurehu ki te hauora, ki te ako hoki. Vaping in schools isn’t just a health issue — it’s a disruption to education and the school environment. Teachers report vaping as a major disruption, taking time and resources away from learning.
- Mā te reo kotahi o te hau kainga o Kaikohe o Kaitaia e tīni i ngā āhuatanga tūkino o ngā toa haurehu. Local voices can lead to real change. Let’s make sure our community is heard and protect our rangatahi from vaping. Local voice matters. Our communities should determine the types of businesses allowed to operate here, not corporate interests profiting from addiction.
Me tupu pakari a tātou tamariki. Tuhia tō ingoa ki te petihana, āwhinatia mātou ki te tū mō tō rātou anamata.
Our kids deserve to grow up safe and strong. Sign the petition and help us stand up for their future.
Our kids deserve to grow up safe and strong. Sign the petition and help us stand up for their future.
References
Further reading
J, Erhabor., Z Yao., Erfan Tasdighi, Emelia J Benjamin, Aruni Bhatnagar, Michael J Blaha. 2005. E-cigarette Use and Incident Cardiometabolic Conditions in the All of Us Research Program, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntaf067