Cancer Society Auckland

Purpose

Following a comprehensive evidence review on e-cigarette and smokeless tobacco products the Cancer Society Auckland was concerned about the risk that large numbers of young New Zealanders will become addicted to nicotine through vaping and start smoking traditional cigarettes, as is happening in the US and Canada.

Plan

We worked with the Cancer Society Auckland to identify young people with experience of vaping and the adults who know and care about them, and provide opportunities for their voice to be heard by key stakeholders and decision makers.

Impact

Media articles reporting the situation, generated by Raise Communications and the Cancer Society, added to a growing concern about youth vaping. Stories ran on One News, Newshub, Radio New Zealand, Stuff and across many other national and regional news outlets.

This put pressure on the Ministry of Health to publicly acknowledge that youth should be considered and adequately protected in the government's vaping regulation amendments.