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The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation New Zealand is
welcoming recent proposals from Government to further
restrict vaping, but says action is urgently required in
communities with the greatest need.
“The proposals set
out by the Ministry of Health in its consultation document
are a great start, and we welcome this focus on greater
protection for our rangatahi from the harms of vaping.
However, regulations must go hand in hand with practical,
on-the-ground education and support for young people and
their whānau – which is still very much lacking,” says
Foundation Chief Executive Letitia Harding.
“We have
known about this need for some time, but it was brought into
sharp focus after the Foundation appointed our first Āpiha
Takawaenga Māori (Maori Community Liaison) in the
Tairāwhiti region last May,” Ms Harding explains.
The
purpose of this role was to work with whānau, hapū and iwi
groups, kura and schools, iwi health providers and community
organisations to improve respiratory health outcomes for
Māori. “The overwhelming need expressed by the community
was vaping harm education. This finding is backed by recent
figures from the ASH New Zealand Survey which found that 34%
of Māori teens aged 14 and 15-year vape regularly,” she
says. “The statistics are even higher for Māori girls of
this age, with 40% vaping regularly.”
During the
six-month pilot programme, the liaison worker Sharon Pihema,
developed a youth education programme centred around kaupapa
Māori values and delivered it to rangatahi across the
region. She also built valuable networks with other health
providers working in vape harm prevention and provided
training to others in this field.
The Foundation is
hoping to roll out this pilot programme, placing four Āpiha
Takawaenga Māori in areas with identified high respiratory
needs: Te Tai Tokerau, Tāmaki Makaurau, Waikato and
Ōtautahi. “We have seen the success of this approach in
reaching rangatahi, and believe that hand in hand with
greater regulation, we can change the current dire situation
of youth vaping in New Zealand,” Ms Harding says.
“New
Zealand needs to acknowledge that vaping is not being used
primarily to stop smoking. It has become a mainstream
recreational activity, which is normalised amongst young
people. Unfortunately, this is no surprise as the Ministry
of Health’s Vaping Regulatory Authority has stated it
views vaping products as primarily recreational and smoking
cessation as secondary,” she says. “We need to be using
every tool available to address this issue.”
Note: In
a letter to the Medical Classification Committee in February
2022. Vaping Regulatory Authority spokesperson Andrea Eng
wrote: ‘Our position on vaping products is that their
purpose is principally recreational rather than therapeutic,
and that their use as a cessation aid for smokers is
secondary.” This can be viewed here: https://www.medsafe.govt.nz/profs/class/Agendas/Agen68/CommentsForAgenda68.pdf
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