The just-released Drugs in Wastewater Testing Programme results for 2024 shows methamphetamine use has nearly doubled in the last year alone.
“These official numbers from New Zealand Police show meth use is surging. Communities are suffering from addiction and crime, and the Government has no real plan to break the cycle of crime,” Labour police spokesperson Ginny Andersen said.
“The report shows that at least 1,434 kilograms of methamphetamine was consumed in 2024—an unprecedented increase over 2023—at a social harm cost of $1.5 billion. This is a direct threat to public safety, as meth fuels violent crime and puts massive pressure on frontline police, who are already stretched thin under this Government.
“New Zealanders were promised 500 new police officers, but the Government has been losing police faster than they can hire them. Meanwhile, they’re telling retailers ‘you’re on your own’ with their dangerous citizen’s arrest plan.
“This Government has no real plan and no interest in prevention. They’re obsessed with headlines, not real results. Mark Mitchell has failed on recruitment and failed on crime,” Ginny Andersen said.