But things have changed \u2013 a global glut has now led to a surge in demand in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
Police recently released wastewater testing figures that showed cocaine use has hit an all-time high.<\/p>\n
The latest wastewater figures were collected between October and December last year, and testing sites cover up to 77% of Aotearoa\u2019s total population.<\/p>\n
The testing calculates drug use from the concentration of each drug\u2019s biomarker detected in the water and reflects the amount of pure drug being consumed, the National Drug Intelligence Bureau says.<\/p>\n
The figures showed methamphetamine use continues to be high, averaging about 34.7kg per week.<\/p>\n
But it\u2019s cocaine that showed the biggest proportional jump of all.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seen as a lucrative albeit small market\u201d for cocaine dealers, said Sarah Helm, executive director of the New Zealand Drug Foundation.<\/p>\n
So how much more cocaine are we using?<\/p>\n
While cocaine use is still lower overall than methamphetamine or cannabis, it\u2019s the size of the rise that has drawn attention.<\/p>\n
Cocaine nearly doubled in a year, rising to an estimated 9.4kg of use per week \u2013 98%, or 4.7kg, above the average amount consumed in the previous four quarters.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s a lot of cocaine.<\/p>\n
Part of this is simply because there\u2019s a lot more of it out there.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the global level, there\u2019s been a real glut in coca production,\u201d Wilkins said. Cocaine comes from the leaves of the coca plant and is primarily produced in South American countries like Colombia, Peru and Bolivia.<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s another reason for the rise.<\/p>\n
In New Zealand, cocaine has sniffed out an image that it is somehow safer and hipper than methamphetamine or other drugs. Iconic images like Al Pacino\u2019s cocaine kingpin in Scarface and white powder hitting the dance floors in American pop culture mostly passed Aotearoa by in the 1980s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was [seen as] a very exotic drug,\u201d Wilkins said. \u201cOf course, it was associated with that kind of Hollywood glamour.<\/p>\n
\u201cCocaine I think at the moment is presenting itself as a kind of cleaner, healthy, more manageable drug, and that\u2019s basically driving demand.\u201d<\/p>\n
NZ Police Assistant Commissioner Corrie Parnell told RNZ there\u2019s a \u201cstrong demand\u201d for cocaine.<\/p>\n
The New Zealand Drug Trends Survey is an anonymous online survey of 8883 people conducted in 2025 and designed to provide an annual snapshot of drug market trends. It\u2019s not a representative sample but is described as \u201cbroadly representing the demographic profile and regional population distribution\u201d of New Zealand.<\/p>\n
And what it\u2019s got to say about cocaine use backs up the wastewater figures.<\/p>\n
The number of those surveyed saying cocaine was \u201ceasy\u201d to get jumped from 17% in 2018-19 to 43% in 2025, while the proportion of those using cocaine at least weekly increased from 6% to 10% over the same period.<\/p>\n
Just 23% of respondents to the survey said they\u2019d used cocaine in the previous six months \u2013 but that\u2019s higher than pretty much every other type of illegal drug other than cannabis (69%) and MDMA (35%), and far higher than meth (11%).<\/p>\n
The Drug Use in Aotearoa 2023\/24 Report released last year also backed up the steady rise \u2013 an estimated 1kg per week of cocaine was consumed by New Zealanders in 2019, compared with the more than 9kg estimated in the new wastewater figures.<\/p>\n
Is it because it\u2019s cheap?<\/p>\n
Just the opposite, actually. New Zealanders pay some of the highest prices for cocaine in the world.<\/p>\n
The average price per gram of cocaine was $360, according to the drug trends survey, just above meth at $334\/gram and far more than MDMA or ketamine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe growth of the cocaine market has occurred over the space of a few years and has largely occurred without significant reductions in street-level pricing,\u201d Parnell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis indicates strong demand for cocaine, as dealers are able to offload increased quantities without dropping the price.\u201d<\/p>\n
Who\u2019s using all this cocaine?<\/p>\n
The New Zealand Drug Trends Survey carried some surprises.<\/p>\n
Respondents who said they\u2019d used cocaine in the past six months were overwhelmingly European (74%), male (66%) and financially pretty well off.<\/p>\n
Of those surveyed, 79% worked full time or part-time, and 42% of them made more than $80,000 a year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like almost a sign of affluence and status in New Zealand just because it\u2019s so exotic,\u201d Wilkins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe affluent association with cocaine kind of presents this veneer that it\u2019s a high-end drug and that it can be used quite manageably. But if you do go to North America and Europe, there\u2019s pretty clearly a lot of people that have problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cocaine use has particularly skyrocketed in Auckland, Wellington and the Bay of Plenty, police said.<\/p>\n
Is this just specific to New Zealand?<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand continues to be an attractive market for organised criminal groups to supply drugs due to the high profit margins,\u201d Parnell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand and Australia continue to have the highest prices for illicit drugs in the world. As is the case globally, there is a large supply, consumption is high and pricing is stable.\u201d<\/p>\n
But cocaine is booming worldwide \u2013 the United Nations\u2019 World Drug Report 2025 said cocaine was the world\u2019s fastest-growing illicit drug market. It said cocaine use grew from 17 million users in 2013 to 25 million users in 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolice have seen an increase in large volumes of cocaine seized\u201d with police and Customs Service operations, Parnell said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe increase in supply is part of a global trend and has been driven by record levels of coca cultivation, increasingly efficient methods of cocaine production, and diversification of supply chains into New Zealand,\u201d Helm said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn an unregulated black market, we are at the mercy of these global changes that can alter our drug supply very quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cocaine traffickers are breaking into new markets across Asia and Africa, the UN report notes.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe vicious violence and competition characterising the illicit cocaine arena, once confined to Latin America, is now spreading to Western Europe,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n
Global instability is \u201cempowering organised crime groups and pushing drug use to historically high levels,\u201d the UN noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe glut of supply means that cocaine is being pushed into countries that haven\u2019t had much presence of cocaine before,\u201d Helm said.<\/p>\n
Is cocaine truly as dangerous as other drugs?<\/p>\n
\u201cNew Zealand culture is kind of cocaine naive … in that it has probably an exaggerated or inflated perception as a harm-free drug and a better alternative to methamphetamine,\u201d Wilkins said.<\/p>\n
New Zealand has had three decades to see how methamphetamine use causes harm that is \u201cpretty cemented in the public culture\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks risk-free, but there\u2019s really serious problems with cocaine related to short-term effects in terms of agitation and violence and sometimes psychosis by heavy users, and also the longer-term effects on cardiovascular health and things like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like any other drug, cocaine carries risks, Helm said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCocaine carries a higher risk of addiction and harm than some other drugs that New Zealanders may be used to, like MDMA, so we are concerned that the community may be less aware about what to look out for to stay safer.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor example, mixing cocaine and alcohol can be risky as they combine to make a substance called cocaethylene, that can put more strain on your body, particularly your heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoreover, some substances like cocaine have a \u2018compulsive redosing effect\u2019, where the person taking it has an increased urge to consume more. This, coupled with its short-lived effects, adds to the risk of addiction.\u201d<\/p>\n
Police said cocaine use across sample wastewater sites in the last quarter of 2025 would equate to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $3.5 million, as calculated by the New Zealand Illicit Drug Harm Index.<\/p>\n
People need to be informed and seek out information about the health risks, Wilkins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt the moment now [cocaine] is kind of in this honeymoon phase\u201d, meaning it\u2019s harder to communicate any dangers in a credible way, as people often rely on information from their peers and there hasn\u2019t been as much negative experience with cocaine here.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of harm, it\u2019s a lot to do with how frequently you\u2019re using and how much you\u2019re using it,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019re just using a drug once a month, once every six months, the risk of you having problems is much lower than weekly or daily use.\u201d<\/p>\n
People should also keep in mind what their underlying risks are, in terms of health conditions and their mental health.<\/p>\n
How you use cocaine is also a factor in the harm it can cause, Wilkins said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNasal use has physical issues, but it\u2019s probably the low-risk option, whereas smoking cocaine, of course, crack, really changed the image of cocaine in North America and other places.\u201d<\/p>\n
Smoking or injecting cocaine are \u201cextremely high risks\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf people plan to use cocaine, we\u2019d advise visiting thelevel.org.nz for tips on how to stay safer,\u201d Helm said.<\/p>\n
So what is New Zealand doing about all this cocaine?<\/p>\n
Parnell said police are focused daily on enforcement of drug laws.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur message to the community is that we can all play a part in reducing the social harm and misery that drugs cause by reporting any suspicious activity or information which may help us to stop those involved in these types of crimes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Large shipments of cocaine have been seized at ports and Operation Matata, a joint Customs\/police operation, targeted a syndicate smuggling drugs through unattended baggage at Auckland Airport.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis operation resulted in eight associates from the TwoEight Brotherhood arrested. Twenty consignments of methamphetamine and cocaine were seized, weighing 630kg and 112kg respectively,\u201d Parnell said.<\/p>\n
There have also been massive cocaine seizures intercepted in the Pacific by other nations.<\/p>\n
Parnell said police are working with many agencies and community groups to tackle the drug problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne initiative to break the cycle of harm is the Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities programme, a collaborative, community-led initiative designed to address the social conditions that enable organised crime,\u201d he said. \u201cThe programme recognises that enforcement alone is not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Drug Foundation has also called for a \u201cfundamental shift\u201d in drug policies.<\/p>\n
Helm said current laws aren\u2019t doing the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the past 50 years, New Zealand\u2019s approach has been to focus heavily on banning the drug and then undertaking supply busts and criminalising people for using drugs, but this is clearly not working,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcross every measure, this approach has been a failure \u2013 not only has drug use continued to grow and diversify, but addiction has increased, overdoses now claim three lives a week, and more new potent drugs are entering the market.”<\/p>\n
There needs to be more investment in help and harm reduction, she said, and the foundation has also issued a report calling for changes to drug laws.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to learn from the evidence and stop making the same mistakes,\u201d Helm said.<\/p>\n
She said other countries can also lead the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cTwo decades ago, Portugal removed criminal penalties for drug use and increased their investment into health and harm reduction, she said, and as a result, overdose death rates fell and pressure on the justice system eased without an increase in drug use.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one has all the answers on solving drug issues, but it\u2019s very clear that our current approach is not it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey recently told RNZ it was \u201cincredibly important for the health system to step up and respond to the harm caused by drugs\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Health has put forth a four-year action plan to reduce addiction.<\/p>\n
Doocey said the Government had no intention of liberalising drug laws.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur focus is on strengthening prevention, reducing overdose harm, and improving access to treatment and recovery support.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2013 RNZ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"But things have changed \u2013 a global glut has now led to a surge in demand in New…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":358782,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[82007,8831,95,20926,26774,6871,2959,221,78,117,111,43,139,69,30273,61,6306,4276,80],"class_list":["post-358781","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-alltime","tag-an","tag-and","tag-cocaine","tag-dirga","tag-has","tag-high","tag-how","tag-in","tag-new","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-skyrocketed","tag-to","tag-use","tag-why","tag-zealand"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358781","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=358781"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/358781\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/358782"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=358781"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=358781"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=358781"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}