Former Health Minister Shane Reti said at the time he had sought urgent options to address nitrous oxide use after reports of its rising popularity as a recreational drug among young people.
Maxine said she wondered where the dumped containers came from.
“Would a bakery dump that stuff there because they use them in the bakeries for whipping cream … but I thought ‘that’s a lot’.
“Is someone huffing all that? You know, it’s like, pretty bad.
“It’s not safe to do that stuff … it’s like drugs, isn’t it?”
Maxine said she hated littering and got annoyed when she saw people dumping rubbish.
“Why do they have to litter our countryside and do that sort of thing? It’s sad.
“I hope to hell it wasn’t some bakery that’s done that.”
Maxine said she left them there because “I didn’t know who to call or what to do”.
She said she visited the area on Thursday and they had been removed.
A Bay of Plenty woman said she wondered where about 50 nitrous oxide containers came from after finding them ‘dumped’ near Rotorua on September 30. Photo / Supplied
A Rotorua Lakes Council spokesperson said no members of the public reported the incident to the council, and the council did not clear them.
The spokesperson said the illegal dumping of nitrous oxide containers was “not a regular occurrence”.
An October 2024 Ministry of Health Official Information Act response said it was difficult to monitor the incidence of harm related to nitrous oxide abuse, as most incidents were not reported.
“However, there is some indication that both the rate of use and incidence of harm are increasing.”
Data from the National Poisons Centre indicated an increase in nitrous oxide use and abuse, it said.
The centre noted a marked increase in reports regarding recreational nitrous oxide exposure in 2023 (11 reports) and, 10 reports by October 2024.
Between 2019 and 2022, there were three to five reports per year.
It said contacting the National Poisons Centre was voluntary, so data would likely show “only a portion” of overall prevalence and mainly cases that resulted in a healthcare referral.
The National Drug Intelligence Bureau also received reports from police and healthcare professionals of increased harm and use of nitrous oxide during the past year.
Waikato and the Bay of Plenty police reported an increase in incidents involving nitrous oxide. This included “several” car accidents where witnesses or the occupants had admitted using nitrous oxide while driving.
Megan Wilson is a health and general news reporter for the Bay of Plenty Times and the Rotorua Daily Post. She has been a journalist since 2021.