The Ministry of Health stated that electronic cigarettes are "far safer" than smoking tobacco amidst controversy over their legal status.

According to the New Zealand Herald, the Ministry of Health told the health select committee: "As the e-cigarette delivers only nicotine … without the 4000 or so other chemicals in tobacco smoke, it is far safer than smoking."
However, the ministry also treats e-cigarettes as an unapproved medicine and says their distribution would be an offence.
It said that research questions needed to be answered before it could support the e-cigarette's introduction and trials were needed on its safety and its effectiveness as a quit-smoking device. (pi)