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Q1 2026 delivered a sobering message: methamphetamine consumption had not returned to earlier levels — it had stabilised at a record high. The Q2 2026 results confirm that this elevated state is now the new normal. According to the latest New Zealand Drugs in Wastewater Programme data, … [Read more...] about The New Normal: Q2 2026 Wastewater Data Shows Methamphetamine Use Remains Elevated

Part 4 of 4: In Part 1, we looked at why a freshly painted ex-rental can warrant further questions. In Part 2, we explained why meth-related behaviour is not always obvious. In Part 3, we outlined the practical next steps when you suspect a meth problem: test, decontaminate, verify, and protect the … [Read more...] about The 2026 Regulations for Tenanted Properties – Why Legal Thresholds Don’t Remove All Risk

New Zealand’s methamphetamine problem came into sharp focus during the 7 September 2026 edition of Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking Breakfast. Host Mike Hosking highlighted wastewater-testing results showing that around two million doses of methamphetamine were consumed in a single week in April … [Read more...] about Two Million Doses a Week: What New Zealand’s Methamphetamine Data Reveals

There is a belief that still surfaces whenever methamphetamine is discussed in New Zealand: that meth use is a personal choice, and that if it is used quietly at home, it harms no one else. Therefore, if it is not a problem for the user, why should it be a problem for anyone else? But “at home” … [Read more...] about The Myth of the Safe Home: Methamphetamine’s Reach Into New Zealand Families

A major new study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal has delivered the clearest evidence yet that methamphetamine contamination levels in tested residential properties have increased significantly since the 2018 government policy change. The research, led by Dr Muhammad Irfan in … [Read more...] about Meth Contamination in New Zealand Homes Has Risen Sharply Since 2018 — It’s Time to Act

Part 3 of 4: In Part 1, we looked at why a freshly painted ex-rental can warrant further questions. In Part 2, we explained why meth-related behaviour is not always obvious. This article explains the practical next steps when you suspect a meth problem: test, decontaminate, verify, and protect the … [Read more...] about What to do when you suspect a meth problem

Part 2 of 4: This is the second article in our four-part meth awareness series. In Part One: Why a Freshly Painted Ex-Rental Should Raise Questions, we explored why a clean, freshly painted property can still conceal a serious contamination issue. This article examines why the usual … [Read more...] about Meth-related behaviour is obvious – Yeah, Right

Part 1 of 4: This is the first in a four-part series for New Zealand landlords and property managers. Over the next few articles, we’ll look at why a freshly painted ex-rental can raise questions, how meth-related behaviour often goes unnoticed, what to do when you suspect a problem, and how to … [Read more...] about Why a Freshly Painted Ex-Rental  Should Raise Questions

The recent uproar over methamphetamine pipes being sold in discount stores has dominated headlines, but it exposes a more troubling reality: New Zealand acknowledges its meth crisis in rhetoric while maintaining remarkably high thresholds for actual consequences. When politicians from across the … [Read more...] about Beyond Meth Pipes: New Zealand’s High-Threshold Problem

We were told the numbers had stabilised. We weren’t told what they had stabilised at. The Q1 2026 wastewater results show methamphetamine consumption averaged 36.6 kilograms per week — 15% above the previous four-quarter average. This is not a return to earlier levels. It is the new … [Read more...] about National Wastewater Analysis Q1 2026: Record Use and the Reality of Property Exposure