The Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990 is a key piece of Smokefree legislation in New Zealand. It is among the most comprehensive pieces of tobacco control legislation in the world. Aotearoa New Zealand has been at the forefront of tobacco control internationally and has made steady progress in reducing smoking prevalence and tobacco consumption.

The Act's main aims are:

• restricting the sale and supply of tobacco and vaping products to those over the age of 18
• regulating and controlling the marketing, advertising, and promotion of vaping and tobacco products
• discouraging people, especially children, young people, and non-smokers from taking up smoking and vaping 
• reducing the exposure of people who do not smoke to any detrimental effects on their health caused by smoking by others
• regulating the safety of vaping products and smokeless tobacco products
• monitoring and regulating the presence of harmful constituents found in regulated products and their emissions.

Since its introduction, several amendments have been made to include legislations around vaping, as well as prohibiting smoking and vaping in motor vehicles with children. Find out more:

• Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990
• Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Vaping) Amendment Act 2020
• The Smokefree Environments (Prohibiting Smoking in Motor Vehicles Carrying Children) Amendment Act
• Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products (Smoked Tobacco) Amendment Act 2022