Actions to combat meth

New Zealand is facing an unprecedented increase in methamphetamine (meth) consumption, with levels in wastewater doubling across the country in 2024. Increased meth use supports the growth of organised crime and causes communities’ harm - with a conservative estimated social harm cost to New Zealand of $1.5 billion in 2024. 

There is already significant cross-agency action to address meth-related harm in three key areas: disrupt international supply, sharpen enforcement, and reduce demand. Meth is an issue that needs to be addressed simultaneously across all these areas. For example, work already underway across government included increased investment in Customs to disrupt supply, reviewing maritime security powers, police recruitment, reforms to anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism laws; and performance improvements to services offering alcohol and drug treatment.

However, in March 2025, the Prime Minister tasked the Minister of Justice with leading a Methamphetamine Ministerial Group to find further solutions to combat meth use. Joint advice to Ministers on key actions was provided through a cross-agency sprint team (including officials from Justice, Customs, Police, Corrections, the Centre for the Family Violence and Sexual Violence Prevention, Health and Inland Revenue). 

As a consequence, Ministers directed surgent action on the following six initiatives, which are now underway: 

  • Customs, Government Communications and Security Bureau, and New Zealand Defence Force maritime operations to disrupt organised crime across the Pacific Ocean;
  • engaging the maritime sector on legislation amendments intended to strengthen border security and address insider threats at ports;
  • Search and Surveillance Act 2012 amendments to increase Police enforcement abilities;
  • Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 amendments to ensure Police’s Asset Recovery Units can reclaim ill-gotten gains from organised crime groups quicker;
  • a hard-hitting nationwide media campaign to deliver a consistent message and raise public awareness about the harms of meth; and 
    funding to increase services available to communities hardest hit by meth through the Vote Health mental health and addiction budget.

In October 2025, Cabinet also approved additional funding of $23.1 million to support the following new actions: 

  • form new offshore liaison positions and increase collaboration with international partners to disrupting and preventing drug exports to New Zealand and the Pacific;
  • establish an additional money laundering team to increase Police’s ability to disrupt organised crime groups; and
  • support the continuation of the Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities work programme, which combats the harms of meth and organised crime through community-led responses to the harms and drivers of organised crime.

All the actions identified by the Methamphetamine Ministerial Group will now be reflected in an updated Target 4 Delivery Plan (due early 2026) to help ensure their ongoing visibility and progress.

 
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