Ministry of Health investigating New Zealand's largest vape retailer over advertising

The Ministry of Health is investigating Shosha, New Zealand's largest vape retailer, over concerns that it is operating in an advertising grey area. RNZ

Rules that took effect in June 2025 ban vape retailers from advertising vaping products. That includes showing product pictures on websites or social media. One week before the advertising rules took effect, Shosha emailed customers to say its .co.nz site would no longer show product images. The email directed them to a new .com global website, shosha.com, listed at a United States address, where products remained visible and could be ordered.

Associate Health Minister Casey Costello referred the global website to the Ministry of Health for investigation. The ministry's initial investigation indicated that shosha.com was hosted and registered in the United States, and that it did not deliver regulated products to New Zealand.

Researchers reached a different view. They found that shosha.com had a product availability tool listing only New Zealand stores, with none outside the country. Test purchases made on the site arrived at New Zealand addresses within three days, and postage documentation showed the parcels were dispatched from Auckland.

The shosha.global Instagram account, which is linked from shosha.com, showed location information indicating it was based in New Zealand. Researchers analysed 67 posts on that account, published between 17 June 2025 and May 2026. Of those posts, 46.3% featured bilingual Te Reo Māori warning labels, 5.9% referred to Matariki, and 40.3% displayed New Zealand-specific limits on nicotine strength.

When Checkpoint tried to access the shosha.global Instagram account on 6 November, two days after the researchers' findings were released, the account had been taken down.

A Ministry of Health spokesperson said the ministry is reviewing whether its position on the shosha.com website has changed.