Legal requirements for smokefree schools
Find out about the legal requirements and how to create a smokefree culture in your school, kura kaupapa, early childhood education centre, or kōhanga reo.
All schools, kura kaupapa, early childhood education centres, and kōhanga reo must be smokefree and vapefree, indoors and outdoors, at all times.
This means that school management and boards must take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure that:
- no person smokes or vapes in any part of the premises, whether inside or outside, at any time of day.
- signage is prominently displayed.
This is the law under the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act 2020.
This law aims to:
- prevent the exposure of children and young people to second-hand smoke, and
- help prevent students being influenced by adults vaping and smoking, and from taking up smoking and vaping.
It also sends a positive message about the smokefree | auahi kore and vapefree | hākohu kore lifestyle as the norm and as the right of all young people.
Complying with the law
All schools, early childhood education facilities and care centres must display ‘no smoking’ and 'no vaping' notices. These notices can be combined or you can have two separate signs.
The other important regulations are:
- signs should be at (or immediately inside) every entrance to the school, and the outer entrance to every building or enclosed area forming part of the premises.
- Principals, boards of trustees, and managers of schools and early childhood centres must take all reasonably practical steps to make sure that no one smokes or vapes on the premises at any time, and that signage is prominently displayed.
- individual schools, kura kaupapa, kōhanga reo and early childhood education and care centres can decide on if they need to have a vaping policy.
Most schools will already have a smokefree policy. You can amend this policy to include vaping.
Download a sample smokefree and vapefree schools policy
Resources
There are resources that can help you implement regulations and create a smokefree and vapefree culture at school:
- Smokefree and Vapefree stickers are available to order for free. You can order stickers from the Health Promotion resource store.
- You can download the Smokefree and Vapefree logos to create signage for your school.
- some sign production companies offer special school rates, and you can work with them to have official signage placed in different buildings and areas.
- You can paint logos around your school boundary, on footpaths outside your school or on grass at outdoor events. Order a Smokefree logo stencil or download a Vapefree stencil.
- Use the Smokefree 2025 logo on your school website, social media pages and newsletters.
- You can download an information sheet about vaping law and regulations.
- You can also use the Smokefree and Vapefree logos on sun shelters and banners at events to increase and maintain awareness of the smokefree and vapefree kaupapa.
- Get information on youth vaping and ways to support the vapefree and smokefree kaupapa in schools on the Let's Clear the Air resource.