Results are now available for the third quarter (2025) of drugs in wastewater testing, which covers around 77% of New Zealand’s population.

The drugs tested for include methamphetamine, MDMA, cocaine, fentanyl, and heroin. These reports focus on methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine as these drugs are routinely detected by the programme.

Social harm cost estimates have been included in this report. These 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.

Key findings: July – September (Q3 2025)

Please note, the Q3 2025 report includes a third page providing the data behind the per capita consumption by district bar graphs.

Methamphetamine

• Methamphetamine use across sample sites increased in Q3 2025, averaging an estimated 30.8 kilograms per week. Due to the high consumption rate over the last year, this was 6% (or 1.8 kilograms) below the average quantity consumed over the previous four quarters.
• Most districts recorded methamphetamine use similar to their respective average consumption over the previous four quarters.
• Methamphetamine use across sample sites in Q3 2025 equates to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $32.3 million.

Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)

• MDMA use increased in Q3 2025, averaging an estimated 7.6 kilograms per week. This was 8% (or 0.5 kilograms) above the average quantity consumed over the previous four quarters.
• Only Southern District recorded a notable increase in MDMA use when compared with their average consumption rate over the previous four quarters.
• MDMA use across sample sites in Q3 2025 equates to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $1.6 million.

Cocaine

• Cocaine use increased in Q3 2025, averaging an estimated 6.4 kilograms per week. This was 43% (or 1.9 kilograms) above the average quantity consumed over the previous four quarters.
• All districts recorded above average cocaine use when compared with their respective average consumption rates over the previous four quarters.
• Cocaine use across sample sites in Q3 2025 equates to an estimated weekly social harm cost of $2.4 million.

As part of Police’s concentrated efforts to implement roadside drug driving testing on New Zealand roads, rigorous steps have been undertaken to ensure Police has met the legislative requirements that would enable Police to commence in December 2025.

Police is proactively releasing information that has been the basis of our gazetting process to confirm positive evidential thresholds for use by an approved analyst to test for a listed qualifying drug that indicates recent use of those listed qualifying drugs.

This was submitted and approved by the Minister of Police in November 2025 as part of the legislative requirement under s71GA of the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Act 2025.

Releasing this document provides the scientific information that informed Police’s decision making and the scientific sources identified by the independent scientists provide clarity to avoid misinterpretation of the evidential thresholds that have been set for drug driving testing.