Christopher Luxon and Chris Bishop hold post-Cabinet press conference
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has asked his justice and police ministers to look at what more can be done to tackle methamphetamine use in New Zealand, which has nearly doubled in two years.
Police data shows an “unprecedented 96% increase in meth consumption when compared to 2023, with consumption increasing across all sites”.
The Drugs in Wastewater 2024 Annual Overview shows the minimal annual consumption jumping from 732 kilograms to 1434, identifying a social harm cost of $1.5 billion last year.
Luxon said he was “quite concerned” by the figures.
“It’s a reason for why we’ve gone so hard on gangs and on organised crime, which is driving a lot of the drug trade.
“But I’ve actually asked ministers ... Goldsmith and Mitchell to say what else can we be doing.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has asked Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith to look into methamphetamine in New Zealand.
New Zealand Herald photograph by Dean Purcell 24 February 2025
“But it underscores exactly why we need to be tough on gangs, who are actually driving a lot of that drug trade.”
But Labour leader Chris Hipkins said the Government had no real plan for tackling methamphetamine, and that seizing gang patches isn’t enough.
“Forcing gangs underground clearly hasn’t been bad for business for them.
“They’re doing a booming trade in selling meth, they’re selling more meth than ever before, and the Government doesn’t seem to have a plan for tackling that.”
Hipkins said simply to ask Goldsmith and Mitchell to look at the issue was not casting the net wide enough.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins says the Government needs a proper plan on methamphetamine. NZME photograph by Mark Mitchell
“He also needs to bring in health, he needs to bring in the other agencies who are dealing with the consequences of it, because that’s ultimately where some of the solutions are going to lie.”
The police report said the spike in methamphetamine use likely resulted from an increase in both supply and demand, along with a decrease in street-level pricing.
It noted locations with high methamphetamine use per capita were largely regional North Island towns also experiencing high rates of socioeconomic deprivation.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said illicit drug supply was a global problem, and police were working hard alongside other agencies and international partners to tackle the issue.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell says police are working hard alongside other agencies and international partners. NZME photograph by Mark Mitchell
The Government had given police additional powers and resources to disrupt and police organised crime groups who dealt in drugs.
“We’ve seen a number of successful drug seizure operations over the last year, including in Opotiki where there’s been a significant drop in meth use as a result.
“Last month, Casey Costello appointed a ministerial advisory group on transnational and serious organised crime, laser-focused on disrupting illicit product and supply chains.
“There is a lot of work to do domestically and internationally to get on top of the problem, and this will continue to be a priority for this Government.”
The Drugs in Wastewater report also showed a 90% increase in cocaine consumption, compared to 2023 — with an increase from 113 kilograms to 215 kilograms — noting the use is “largely recreational.”
Sophie Trigger is Newstalk ZB’s Senior Political Reporter. She joined the New Zealand Herald in 2020, before moving to Newstalk ZB and the Press Gallery in 2022.
