Their Facebook group Vape-Free Kids NZ already has more than 1000 members.
Member and Christchurch mother Anna says her son became addicted at 14 - and they are still battling the ongoing consequences.
"At 16 now, we're still battling with him giving up the addiction, but also the ongoing consequences of those decisions and the changes that it's made to his brain and the way he interacts with us."
Vape-Free Kids NZ spokesperson Kate Duder said while the proposal to ban new vape shops from opening within 300m of schools and marae is a step in the right direction, it will do nothing to tackle the large number of stores already in operation.
“The Government needs to act now to stop the sale of vapes in dairies, especially those in close proximity to schools and kura," Duder said.
"We are deeply concerned about the welfare of our rangatahi, given the cynical and blatant promotion of vaping targeting young people.”
When it comes to child safety mechanisms such as more generic names for vape flavours, Duder argues even names like ‘berry’ are not enough to prevent children being enticed by them.
“If the goal is smoking cessation, simply having plain or menthol flavours should be more than sufficient.
"Retaining the ability for vape companies to market a large range of fruity flavours makes no sense."
Vape-Free Kids NZ is not anti-vaping as a tool for smokers who want to quit. But it wants the Government to strike the right balance between providing harm-reducing alternatives to cigarettes and protecting those who have never smoked before vaping.
“We have worked so hard as a country to reduce smoking, and it is ironic that the tool we elected to help smokers quit is actually causing an alarming spike in nicotine addiction amongst young people."
The group has launched two petitions (here and here) calling for action on the issue.
