By RNZ
The government appears to have spent a fraction of the money it promised to invest in a highly effective methamphetamine programme.
Early evaluations of Te Ara Oranga found a 34 per cent reduction in harm from offending among its participants and a return of between $3 and $7 for every $1 invested.
In the lead-up to the 2020 election, former prime minister Dame Jacinda Ardern promised to expand the programme to a further 4000 people at a cost of $38 million over the three-year Parliamentary term.
Figures released to RNZ under the Official Information Act show as of June 2023, the Health Ministry had spent less than a fifth of this promised investment.