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Methamphetamine use in New Zealand rose sharply in 2024: Police wastewater testing estimated 32.4 kg consumed per week in July–September, more than twice the average weekly amount in the previous four quarters. That is an estimate of drug consumption across monitored wastewater catchments—not a count of people using methamphetamine. The increase appears to reflect a mix of strong organised-crime incentives, greater availability and more frequent use, alongside difficult social conditions; the evidence does not establish one cause on its own.
What does “flooding” mean in the available data?
“Flooding” is a vivid description, not a technical measure of how much methamphetamine is in the country. The clearest national signal is wastewater testing. New Zealand Police estimated that 32.4 kg of methamphetamine was consumed each week in July–September 2024. The estimate came from 59 sites covering around 76% of the population, and Police said every policing district was above its average for the previous four quarters.
The Ministry of Justice characterised wastewater methamphetamine levels as having doubled across the country in 2024. It also put the conservative estimated social harm cost of methamphetamine at NZ$1.5 billion in 2024. That is a Ministry estimate of social harm, not a measure of methamphetamine sales, seized supply or spending by users.
These figures describe the marked rise in 2024; they are not a full-year estimate for 2026. Wastewater estimates also cover monitored catchments, rather than every person or location in New Zealand.
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What the different indicators can—and cannot—tell us
| Indicator | What it measures | What it does not establish |
|---|---|---|
| Wastewater | Drug residues are used to estimate consumption across monitored catchments. Police’s July–September 2024 estimate covered 59 sites and around 76% of the population. | It does not count individual users or distinguish more users from more frequent use, or from a change in the active-substance concentration of the supply. |
| Health survey | The 2023/24 New Zealand Health Survey estimated past-year amphetamine use at 1.3%, up slightly from 1.2%—about 56,000 people, according to the NZ Drug Foundation’s account. | It does not measure the same thing or period as wastewater testing, and self-reported results can lag a rapid change in consumption. |
| Seizures | Customs and partner agencies report drug intercepted within a stated period and scope. | Seizures do not measure all supply entering or circulating in New Zealand. Their totals depend on what was detected, intercepted and included in the report. |
Wastewater shows a rise in consumption, not a head count
The NZ Drug Foundation’s 2023/24 report, drawing on National Drug Intelligence Bureau data provided in response to an Official Information Act request, gives average rates of 675 mg per day per 1,000 people in January–June 2024 and 1,303 mg per day per 1,000 people in July–December 2024. Those are population-normalised estimates of methamphetamine consumption, not estimates of how many people used it. A larger wastewater signal could mean more people using, existing users consuming more often, a more concentrated supply, or a combination.
The report also found substantial regional differences in 2024. Northland had the highest reported rate, 1,488 mg per day per 1,000 people, up 148% from 2023. Southern had the lowest, at 347 mg per day per 1,000 people, but that was still 116% higher than in 2023. These regional rates are not interchangeable with the national weekly kilogram estimate: they use a per-capita measure and describe particular regions.
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Survey results do not cancel out the wastewater signal
The survey’s small increase—from 1.2% to 1.3% reporting past-year amphetamine use—does not contradict the sharp wastewater rise in late 2024. The measures have different definitions and time windows: a survey asks people to report whether they used in the past year, while wastewater testing estimates residues in monitored catchments over a shorter period. The NZ Drug Foundation cautions that self-reported figures lagged the wastewater series during the steepest late-2024 increase.
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No single explanation is proved by these figures. The evidence points to plausible, overlapping factors: incentives for organised crime, possible growth in international supply, lower prices, changes in frequency of use, and pressures in people’s lives.
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High prices and demand attract organised crime
Customs’ 2025 annual report says New Zealand’s high prices and demand for methamphetamine and cocaine make the country attractive to transnational serious organised crime groups. It describes attempts to exploit ports and airports by placing or compromising people in key supply-chain roles, so illicit goods can bypass screening or be diverted. This illustrates how criminal groups may target the supply chain; it does not quantify how much methamphetamine those tactics brought into the country.
International supply and lower prices may matter
Sarah Helm, executive director of the NZ Drug Foundation, said international methamphetamine production had grown and that increased supply may have contributed to lower prices. The Foundation reported that the average price per gram fell 36% between 2017/18 and 2024. A price decline alongside rising wastewater estimates is consistent with greater availability, but the association does not prove that price reductions caused the consumption increase.
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More frequent use could raise consumption without a matching rise in users
The NZ Drug Foundation reported that 29% of people who said they had used methamphetamine in the previous six months reported daily or near-daily use in 2024, compared with 19% in 2022/23. This is a finding about reported frequency among people who used—not the share of all New Zealanders using methamphetamine. It is one reason wastewater consumption can rise more quickly than survey prevalence, but the two observations alone do not show what caused the change in frequency.
Social pressures are part of the explanation, but not a quantified cause
Helm has described the increase as occurring alongside problems involving employment and housing. Stephen King, director of the Alcohol and Drug Community Support Trust in Waikato, has also pointed to cost-of-living pressures, describing addiction as a way of escaping difficult circumstances. These are attributed perspectives from people working in the field, not quantified findings showing that hardship caused the national increase.
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Helm has also said there may have been changes in how organised crime sells methamphetamine, but that this is not well understood. The available account raises this as a possibility rather than establishing a new distribution method or its effect.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What seizure figures show—and why they are not a supply total
In its Budget 2025 announcement, the government said Customs and offshore partners had stopped nearly 8.5 tonnes of methamphetamine from entering New Zealand over the preceding two years. Customs separately reported preliminary seizures of 976 kg from January to May 2025. The latter release explicitly excluded June figures, offshore seizures and other border seizures, so it is not a full-year total.
These figures have different reporting periods and scopes, and should not be added together or used as a direct measure of the total available supply. Interceptions show that agencies stopped particular shipments; they cannot reveal how much was not detected, nor how much was consumed. A large seizure can reflect substantial attempted trafficking, effective enforcement, or both.
Why the response includes treatment as well as enforcement
The Ministry of Justice describes the government response as pursuing three lines at once: disrupting international supply, sharpening enforcement and reducing demand. Its listed measures include increased Customs investment, a review of maritime security powers, Police recruitment, anti-money-laundering reforms and improvements to treatment services. Supply disruption addresses trafficking; enforcement targets criminal activity; treatment and demand reduction address health needs and consumption. Seizures alone cannot substitute for the latter measures.
The Budget 2025 announcement described funding for up to 60 additional Customs roles over four years. The planned focus included lower-quantity, high-frequency smuggling through mail and airports, supply-chain security and insider threats, as well as an overseas liaison officer. These are announced roles and priorities, not evidence that the new staffing has already reduced availability or consumption.
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