National Drugs in Wastewater Testing Programme - 2025 Annual Overview

This overview of the Drugs in Wastewater Programme results for 2025 outlines the estimated annual consumption across all 62 testing sites in 2025, provides a comparison with previous years, and summarises general trends for the three main drug types (methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine).

This report includes estimates of the annual number of common doses consumed, annual social harm cost and annual amount spent on these drugs (dollar value). They have been included to provide perspective. Please note:

• Dose estimates do not account for changes to purity, physiological tolerance to a substance, or very heavy use.
• Social harm cost estimates are derived from the New Zealand Illicit Drug Harm Index 2023 (National Drug Intelligence Bureau (2023). The New Zealand Illicit Drug Harm Index 2023: Research report. Wellington: Ministry of Health). The Drug Harm Index 2023 provides a conservative measure of the harms associated with the use of illicit drugs in New Zealand and considers both personal and community harms.
• Dollar value is based on the national average price per gram for each commodity.

Key Points

• Methamphetamine consumption in 2025 continued at the markedly elevated levels first observed in 2024, with at least 1,751 kilograms consumed across sample sites in 2025. This high rate of methamphetamine consumption was maintained throughout 2025 and prices continued to be lower than previous years.
• MDMA consumption remained stable with at least 362 kilograms consumed across sample sites in 2025. MDMA supply has been steady with few incidences of substitution or adulteration detected in 2025.
• Cocaine consumption in 2025 continued to increase, with at least 332 kilograms consumed across sample sites in 2025. Toward the end of 2025 record high levels of cocaine use continued to be recorded each month, and cocaine consumption surpassed MDMA consumption for the first time.