Country's largest vape retailer under investigation over advertising concerns
New Zealand's largest vape retailer, Shosha, is under investigation for allegedly bypassing advertising regulations via a US-registered website and Instagram account.Summary
New Zealand's largest vape retailer, Shosha, is under investigation by the Ministry of Health for potentially circumventing advertising regulations that took effect in June 2025. The regulations ban retailers from displaying vaping products on websites and social media. A week before the rules came into effect, Shosha emailed customers directing them to a newly created .com "global" website, registered at a US address, where product images remained fully visible. Although the Ministry of Health previously investigated and found the site did not deliver regulated products to New Zealand, researchers at the University of Auckland argue the website is clearly a workaround. They found a store availability tool listing only New Zealand locations, and test purchases made on the .com site were dispatched from Auckland and arrived within three days. Additionally, an associated Instagram account, shosha.global, was found to be based in New Zealand and posted images of vaping products with New Zealand-specific warning labels and cultural references, violating the advertising ban. The account was taken down in November. The Ministry of Health is reviewing its position on the shosha.com website and stated it was unaware of the Instagram account. Researchers criticise the regulations as too loose and call for stronger enforcement, noting that without action, the legislation is meaningless.
(Source：RNZ)
