{"id":163331,"date":"2025-12-01T22:06:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-01T22:06:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/163331\/"},"modified":"2025-12-01T22:06:11","modified_gmt":"2025-12-01T22:06:11","slug":"muriwhenua-meth-use-explodes-as-cheaper-supply-floods-far-north","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/163331\/","title":{"rendered":"Muriwhenua meth use explodes as cheaper supply floods Far North"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIt\u2019s like a pebble in a pond. The ripples are felt all throughout the community and it\u2019s not always apparent that meth is behind it.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t have that level of increase without seeing an effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the price of meth on the streets has halved and the cheaper supply could be one of the reasons behind the jump in consumption.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat would have cost $600 two years ago, now costs $300. What that means is when you\u2019re on the gear, instead of going for two days, you\u2019re going for four days and when you go for four days, everything is impacted. Hunger, school uniforms, truancy, accidents and just everything.\u201d <\/p>\n

Corrigan also said young people are being exposed earlier as use becomes normalised.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think meth discriminates. There are generational methamphetamine users in Muriwhenua, like there are around the country nowadays. How are they getting into it? They\u2019re getting into it because they see it in their homes. They\u2019re getting into it because they see their friends, their uncles, their aunties, their parents using it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Corrigan believes that the answer to lowering consumption lies with peer workers, people with lived experiences who can walk beside those trying to get off meth.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe opposite of addiction is connection, and we need people who understand addiction to reach wh\u0101nau where they are.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the bleak picture, he believes there is hope for those struggling with meth addiction.<\/p>\n

\u201cAddiction is savage, but there is always a way back. Getting well is not something that takes a short period of time. There\u2019s no easy way through it. You have to be surrounded by people who are on the same journey as you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Te Puna Whakaiti P\u0101mamae Kai Whakapiri, NZ Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm said methamphetamine use rapidly increased in the middle of 2024 according to wastewater data \u2013 more than doubling across the country and with larger increases in some areas.<\/p>\n

She added that the reasons behind the consumptions in the Far North <\/a>are complex.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany of them stem from deep-seated and long-term impacts of colonisation and poverty,\u201d Helm said. \u201cThe increase we\u2019ve seen recently is likely because of a big surge in supply into Aotearoa, which is why it\u2019s crucial we focus on interventions that will increase support and reduce demand.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said while most who use meth don\u2019t experience addiction, overall methamphetamine has been devastating for many communities, especially as some people with substance use disorder end up selling the drug to sustain their own use.<\/p>\n

\u201cNorthland is one of the regions that has been consistently more impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Helm said more health-based interventions are urgently needed, for people to access peer-based support.<\/p>\n

Alex Pimm, Te Whatu Ora Group director for operations in Northland, said they are currently working with partners and to implement the new government investment in reducing the demand for meth.<\/p>\n

As part of the Government\u2019s Reducing Demand for Methamphetamine Programme 2025-2029, about $30 million over four years will be invested in communities hardest hit by methamphetamine to increase the services available. This includes targeted investment ($14m nationwide) to expand and enhance intensive treatment services in the communities experiencing the greatest increases in methamphetamine consumption and harms, such as the Far North area of Te Tai Tokerau, from Kaikohe to Kait\u0101ia.<\/p>\n

The new investment will be coming to the district early next year.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis will complement existing teams across the district and be primarily focused on supporting whaiora and wh\u0101nau with addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe recognise that people with addiction may experience many boundaries in accessing care. Our lived experience leads us to help us reduce barriers and engage with whaiora to support them with their care.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that they have not noticed any significant changes in people with addiction accessing emergency departments or being referred to our services in Te Tai Tokerau, however our services remain under pressure. I\u2019d like to thank our kaimahi for their ongoing dedication to their patients and communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIt\u2019s like a pebble in a pond. The ripples are felt all throughout the community and it\u2019s not…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163332,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[806,1558,6434,537,380,62613,80495,528,3092,1868,107141,111,43,139,529,69,1523,15041,19862,11408,6306,78597,6436],"class_list":["post-163331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-as","tag-been","tag-cheaper","tag-crisis","tag-decade","tag-explodes","tag-exploding","tag-far","tag-floods","tag-meth","tag-muriwhenua","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-north","tag-nz","tag-over","tag-shown","tag-supply","tag-testing","tag-use","tag-wastewater","tag-well"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163331"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163331\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163332"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}