Reported current use increased from 1 per cent in 2025 to 14 per cent in 2026, while awareness rose from 22 per cent to 37 per cent, according to research published by the Public Health Communication Centre on 7 October.
The findings come as the government considers allowing nicotine pouches to be sold over the counter.
Researchers found that access is already extending beyond legal personal imports: 68 per cent of current users in the 2026 survey reported buying pouches from New Zealand convenience stores, petrol stations, vape shops or tobacco retailers.
Smokers looking for alternatives
Among current pouch users in 2026, 21 per cent said they used them as a step towards becoming smoke-free, 20 per cent towards becoming nicotine-free, and 19 per cent to replace some cigarettes without stopping smoking completely.
The researchers acknowledge that pouches are likely to be less harmful than smoking and could help some people quit. However, they say stronger clinical trial evidence is needed to establish their effectiveness.
Some respondents had stopped using pouches. Among former users in 2026, 45 per cent said the products were not satisfying enough and 24 per cent said they had not helped them quit.
The online surveys involved 298 adults in 2025 and 519 in 2026, all smoking at least monthly. Participants were volunteers, and the sample changed between surveys, so the results should not be treated as national prevalence estimates.
Monitoring of attitudes and behaviours regarding nicotine pouches will be essential to understanding their impacts on people
Products available despite restrictions
Nicotine pouches are placed between the lip and gum. They contain no tobacco leaf and deliver nicotine without burning tobacco or inhaling smoke.
Under New Zealand’s current rules, people can import pouches containing tobacco-derived nicotine for their own use. Imports for retail sale or distribution require medicinal approval. Synthetic nicotine products face separate restrictions.
Personal use therefore does not, by itself, indicate an illegal purchase. The reports of sales through domestic shops raise a different question about how the restrictions are being enforced.
University of Auckland Professor Chris Bullen, a co-author, called for closer monitoring of the developing market.
In an accompanying media release, he said: “Monitoring of attitudes and behaviours regarding nicotine pouches will be essential to understanding their impacts on people”.
Testing their potential to help smokers quit
Evidence on whether pouches help people stop smoking remains at an early stage.
A Cochrane review published in October 2025 identified four studies involving 284 smokers. One small study found lower exposure to carbon monoxide among people using pouches than among those continuing to smoke.
The review couldn’t establish whether pouches improved quitting rates compared with minimal support or instructions to continue smoking. No serious health harms were reported in the three studies measuring them, although the small samples and short follow-up leave longer-term safety uncertain.
New Zealand is investing in research to answer those questions. The Health Research Council has awarded approximately NZ$1.44 million (€720,000) to a University of Auckland project examining whether pouches can help smokers quit.
The planned community trial will compare nicotine pouches plus text-message support with text-message support alone, testing their effectiveness, safety and acceptability as an alternative to cigarettes.