Articles

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.… Read More

Every year on June 1st, thousands of people connected to New Zealand’s dairy industry relocate as part of the new dairy season. Homes change occupants. Farm workers move regions. Contract and share milkers take over… Read More

In Part 1, we looked at what wastewater testing is telling us. Meth-related behaviour across New Zealand is sustained, distributed, and no longer easy to dismiss as isolated. But wastewater is not only a public… Read More

The risk didn’t increase.It was redefined. For years, methamphetamine contamination in residential property was often treated as an occasional issue — something associated with obvious warning signs, severe damage, or extreme cases. But when we… Read More

A recent conversation that didn’t sit right Not long ago, I was speaking with a real estate agent during a property discussion. The comment was casual. Confident. “With the new meth regulations, buyers don’t really… Read More

The recent REINZ Residential Property Management Conference 2026 confirmed what many in the industry have been sensing: The meth problem hasn’t been solved. It has been redefined—and redistributed. A key message delivered by tenancy expert… Read More

Key points Direct Effect Key outcomes – the regulation introduces changes to NZS8510:2017 that may reduce some of the short-term operational consequences and costs arising from meth-related behaviour. Landlords can undertake their own screening assessments… Read More

Much of New Zealand’s approach to meth-related harm is shaped by official studies and guidance that, while credible at the time they were produced, are now materially out of date and incomplete. This is not… Read More

What national data tells us — and what it doesn’t In New Zealand, homes that look clean, functional, and undamaged are often assumed to be safe.National data increasingly suggests that this assumption deserves closer scrutiny.… Read More

Recent reporting on rising tenancy terminations and relocations by Kāinga Ora (https://www.waikatotimes.co.nz/nz-news/360921299/kainga-ora-kicked-out-more-disruptive-tenants-2025-previous-four-years) has prompted a familiar public reaction: good — disruptive tenancies are being dealt with. But there’s a quieter, more practical question property owners should… Read More

Executive risk summary (early-2026 shift) Introduction If you own rental property in New Zealand, there’s a significant change coming in early 2026 that could fundamentally alter your risk exposure—and most landlords don’t even know about… Read More

Meth contamination in residential housing is often discussed in absolutes — high risk vs low risk, urban vs regional, compliant vs non-compliant. However, three years of meth testing data from Safe & Healthy Home Solutions… Read More

Meth contamination of property isn’t just an issue for people directly involved in illegal drug activity and their families.It’s a real, documented health risk for everyday New Zealanders — families, tenants, buyers, and property owners — who unknowingly live in contaminated… Read More

Introduction Property management in New Zealand faces a unique and largely invisible threat: methamphetamine contamination. While property managers diligently fulfill their traditional responsibilities—tenant screening, quarterly inspections, maintenance coordination, and legal compliance—a critical question remains unanswered:… Read More

When two top property management brands offered wildly different advice—one saying ‘Sell,’ the other ‘Rent’—why did business advising the owner to rent win out? The answer is in the details of active meth risk management… Read More

Are people being misled where meth contamination levels are concerned? Words have power. Where environmental risks are concerned, where you are wanting to communicate certainty, you will use the word ‘safe’. However, a feature of… Read More

In recent weeks, the media has had successive stories pointing out that the problems with meth in this country are on the increase. As we should expect politicians have chosen to use this as an… Read More

Our recent article, “Lawyers on Meth,” highlighted how experienced real estate lawyers recognize the significant risks that meth-related issues pose for real estate professionals and property managers. The current environment—shaped by government policies, the demands… Read More

We know that when a meth habit becomes entrenched, the need to feed the habit dominates a person’s behaviour. When a meth user’s day job/benefit no longer provides enough income to feed the habit a… Read More

While undoubtedly there are lawyers with meth habits, this is not what this post is about! Sorry to disappoint those looking for salacious tittle tattle. This post focuses on what the legal profession that supports… Read More

Meth Use Doubles Waste water Drug Test Statistics were recently released for 2024. They show that by the end of the year, estimates of consumption rates more than doubled when compared to 2023. What this… Read More

The National Drug Harm Index’s $1.5 billion estimate for methamphetamine-related social harm in New Zealand is indeed described as “conservative.” At approximately $1 million of harm per kilogram, this figure likely understates the true impact.… Read More

The Toxicology Clause in the sale and purchase agreement has been included, to ensure that people do not have to remember the real risks presented by meth. Retaining the clause and spending a few hundred… Read More