Govt scraps vaping regulations to resolve court case with Shosha vape chain

By Adam Pearse

Deputy Political Editor·NZ Herald·

23 Jul, 2025 11:17 PMQuick Read

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The Government is changing vaping regulations. Photo / 123rf

The Government is scrapping regulations requiring all vaping devices to have removable batteries to resolve a court case with the company behind popular vape shop franchise Shosha.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello confirmed Cabinet had been advised by Crown Law that dropping the 2023 regulations was the “best way to
resolve the case”.

The regulations, introduced by the previous Labour Government, banned vape devices that didn’t have removable batteries, essentially banning disposable vapes and some battery-powered devices.

This was recently challenged in Wellington’s High Court by Mason Corporation Limited, which owned the popular vape store chain, Shosha.

Shosha is a popular vape store chain in New Zealand. Photo / Supplied