Published 5 October 2026. Specialist vape retailer Discount Mall Vape Ltd has been fined $35,000 (NZD) after being caught selling vapes to minors and failing to keep young people out of its stores, in joint action by Health New Zealand and the Ministry of Health.
This is the first prosecution brought against a Specialist Vape Retailer for both offences: selling vapes to under-18s, and failing to take all practicable steps to prevent a young person from entering its premises. It is also the seventh prosecution for selling regulated products to under-18s since 2023.
What Investigators Found
The prosecution followed controlled purchase operations at Discount Mall Vape stores around the country. The numbers were damning:
- 10 recorded instances where a young person was able to enter a store
- 6 of those occasions ended with a vape sale to the young person
Ministry of Health Deputy Director-General David Shanks issued a blunt warning: “Businesses that continue put sales ahead of young people’s health can expect serious repercussions.”
“This Wasn’t a One-Off Mistake”
Health New Zealand Director of Protection Becky Jenkins stressed that the case was about a pattern, not a lapse: “This wasn’t a one-off mistake… That is an unacceptable breach of laws meant to protect the health of children and young people.”
The joint prosecution by the Ministry of Health and Health New Zealand signals that specialist retailers, the shops New Zealand’s regulatory system was supposed to hold to higher standards, are now under active scrutiny.
What Comes Next
With seven underage-sale prosecutions since 2023 and fines now reaching $35,000, retailers selling to minors face a clear trajectory: heavier penalties, joint-agency investigations, and prosecutions that name the company. Parents in New Zealand can take some comfort that controlled purchase operations are actively testing whether shops follow the law.
For a deeper look at what the science actually says about vaping safety, read our guide Is SBX Vape Safe: Side Effects, FDA Status, What Science Says. And for the US side of the authorized-products debate, see our FDA authorized vapes list.
Source: New Zealand Ministry of Health
https://www.health.govt.nz/news/vape-retailer-prosecuted-over-repeated-sales-to-under-18s