“It is likely that increased supply of cocaine to New Zealand has contributed to the expansion of the domestic cocaine market.”
Cocaine continues to be seized by customs officials – but still consumption grows. Photo / Customs
Tāmaki Makaurau District has the highest average cocaine consumption over the last four quarters (271 milligrams per day – per 1000 people) and was narrowly ahead of Bay of Plenty in Q3 (325mg/day/1000 people).
The New Zealand Drug Foundation says it’s seen a substantial increase in cocaine consumption over the last 2-3 years.
“Globally, cocaine production has grown along with the efficiency of illicit supply lines, so we need to prepare for further increases and invest in harm reduction and health services,” says Sarah Helm, NZ Drug Foundation executive director.
Helm backed up Rawlings’ assertion that, despite the growth, consumption levels are still comparatively low.
“To put it in perspective, after adjusting for population, the latest annual data available shows Australia’s estimated cocaine consumption in 2023-24 was over four times higher than New Zealand’s was in the 12 months to September 2025,” said Helm.
Tasman had the lowest cocaine reading in the latest quarter, with an average of 55mg in Q3 and 27mg over the past year.
Methamphetamine use remains ‘stubbornly high’, according to the NZ Drug Foundation. Photos / Supplied
Waikato topped the third quarter testing for methamphetamine, averaging 1879mg per day, per 1000 people. Northland has the highest average over the past four quarters.
“Methamphetamine use surged in the middle of 2024, doubling nationwide with even more significant increases in some regions. It has remained stubbornly high, and we are starting to see significant health effects,” says Helm.
“It’s clear that we can’t rely on supply-side measures – we need to focus on giving people support and reducing demand. We were pleased with recent announcements from the Government investing in health responses, and we’re hoping to see more in this space.”
Southern has had the lowest average meth consumption over the past year and in the third quarter.
It’s the opposite with MDMA. Southern averaged 730mg in Q3, more than double that of the next highest district (Canterbury – 334mg). Southern was the only district to record a notable increase.
Neither Rawlings nor Helm was surprised by the results.
“MDMA is a popular recreational drug, commonly used on weekends and at festivals and events. The spike in MDMA in Southern District for Q3 was largely due to high MDMA consumption over the sampling week in July 2025. This generally occurs every July if wastewater sampling coincides with these events,” says Rawlings.
A joint NZ Police and New Zealand Customs investigation seized more than 1000 MDMA pills earlier this year. Image – NZ Police
Helm says the student demographic in the district contributes strongly to the high MDMA readings.
“This has been a long-term trend. The largest urban area of the Southern Police district is Dunedin, where a fifth of the city population are students, and almost half of the residents are under 30. We know that MDMA consumption is much more common among younger people (15-24), so this is likely why per capita consumption rates are higher than in other districts.
“Looking at long-term wastewater data, MDMA consumption has been fairly stable, with some seasonal fluctuations. In fact, over the last 4 years, we have seen a slight drop in consumption of MDMA per capita.”
Methamphetamine use across sample sites in Q3 2025 equated to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $32.3 million. The estimate is derived from the New Zealand Illicit Drug Harm Index 2023 (DHI 2023).
By comparison, cocaine’s Q3 social harm cost sat at $2.4M while MDMA was $1.6m.
The DHI 2023 provides a conservative measure of the harms associated with the use of illicit drugs in New Zealand and considers both personal and community harms.
Wastewater testing occurs for one week each month; however, the frequency of testing varies between sites. Nationwide testing started in November 2018, with current testing sites covering up to 77% of the total New Zealand population. The three commodities routinely detected in sufficient quantities to accurately report on are methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine.
Suspected dumping events are excluded from the data as they do not represent consumption.
Q4 results won’t be known until early 2026. Rawlings warns anyone planning to add to those statistics over the summer to have illicit substances checked before taking them.
Drug testing at Drug Foundation NZ. Photo / Supplied
“Drug checking is free and legal in New Zealand, with clinics held regularly in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin, and pop-up events take place across the country. A calendar of upcoming clinics can be found on our website, www.highalert.org.nz” says Rawlings.
Helm endorses Rawling’s advice to have substances tested and hopes to see New Zealand’s drug laws put under a microscope soon, too.
“It’s clear that our drug laws are failing and we urgently need to reform them alongside a big investment in health and harm reduction.”
Mike Thorpe is a senior journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.