How to Check a Vaping Product Is Legal in NZ: Notification, Labels and the Notified Products Register

Every vaping device, pod, coil and e-liquid sold in New Zealand must be notified to the Vaping Regulatory Authority, part of the Ministry of Health, before it can be sold. Notification is the mechanism that enforces the product safety rules. This page explains how the system works and how to check a product. It is current as at September 2026.

What "notified" means

A manufacturer or importer submits a notification for each product it intends to sell, confirming that the product meets the safety and packaging requirements in the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Regulations 2021. There is a fee per product and the notification is renewed every 12 months. A notification must be withdrawn and resubmitted if the product changes significantly, for example a new ingredient or a different nicotine concentration. The Ministry can suspend or cancel a notification, issue public warnings, or order a recall.

Retailers do not notify products; the manufacturer or importer does. A retailer's obligation under s 65 of the Act is to sell only products that are currently notified and compliant.

How to look a product up

  1. Go to the Ministry of Health's Notified Products Register, linked from the Ministry's "Product notifications" page on the HARP system.
  2. Search by brand or product name.
  3. Check the product type — freebase nicotine vaping substance, nicotine salts vaping substance, vaping device, or kit — the notifier, and that the notification is current.

Different bottle sizes and strengths of the same product are covered by a single notification, so not every variant appears separately.

What a compliant e-liquid label shows

  • The nicotine concentration in mg/mL. A percentage on its own is not sufficient. A nicotine salt product may show both the salt concentration and the nicotine concentration — see nicotine strength explained.
  • The nicotine warning in English and te reo Māori, in black on a white background, occupying the prescribed area on the front and back of the pack.
  • The four prescribed safety messages about keeping the substance away from children and pets, not swallowing it, the 0800 POISON number, and seeking medical advice.
  • A variant name drawn from the approved flavour names in Schedule 4A of the Regulations, such as Strawberry or Mint. Invented or branded flavour names have not been permitted since products had to comply on 21 March 2024.
  • Ingredients and quantities, volume, batch identification, expiry date, PG:VG ratio and the manufacturer's contact details.
  • Child-resistant packaging on containers of nicotine e-liquid.

What a compliant device has

  • It is rechargeable, and refillable or able to take a replaceable pod. Devices that are neither rechargeable nor refillable have been prohibited since 17 June 2025.
  • A child safety mechanism requiring two simultaneous or five sequential actions to activate, which the user cannot override or deactivate.
  • Automatic deactivation within 10 minutes of vaping stopping.
  • Over-discharge protection and on-board charging circuitry, and compliance with the Electricity (Safety) Regulations 2010.
  • A serial or batch number traceable to the time and place of manufacture.

A removable battery is no longer required. That requirement was removed with effect from 1 September 2025, so sealed-battery and removable-battery devices are both compliant.

Nicotine limits

Freebase nicotine e-liquid is limited to 20 mg/mL of nicotine. Nicotine salt e-liquid is limited to 28.5 mg/mL of nicotine, which corresponds to 50 mg/mL of nicotine salt. A product stating a nicotine concentration above the limit for its type is not compliant.

Indicators that a product is not compliant

  • A single-use device with no charging port and no replaceable pod.
  • A strength shown only as a percentage, or a nicotine concentration above the limits.
  • An invented or branded flavour name, a cartoon or toy depiction, or confectionery-style packaging.
  • A warning without te reo Māori, or no warning at all.
  • No batch identification, no notifier details, or no ingredient list.
  • Sold through social media, an online marketplace or a private seller.
  • Sold without age verification, or to anyone under 18.

Who may sell vaping products

There are two categories of retailer. General retailers — dairies, petrol stations, supermarkets — must notify the Ministry that they sell vaping products, and may sell only tobacco, menthol and mint flavours. Specialist vape retailers must be approved by the Vaping Regulatory Authority, may sell the full range of approved flavours, and require separate approval for each premises and for an internet site. Approved specialist vape retailers are listed on the Ministry's HARP database, where any retailer's status can be checked.

Related reading

Sources: Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990, ss 20FA, 20P, 20R and 65; Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Regulations 2021, regs 68–70, 69A and Schedules 4A and 5; Ministry of Health, Product notifications for manufacturers and importers, and Recent changes to Smokefree laws.

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