Record levels of cocaine use in New Zealand have reignited calls for a major overhaul of the country’s drug policy, with the NZ Drug Foundation warning the current approach is no longer working.
New wastewater testing data released by the NZ Police shows cocaine consumption surged to an all-time high in the final quarter of 2025, overtaking MDMA use for the first time. At the same time, methamphetamine consumption has remained persistently high following a sharp increase in the latter half of 2024.
NZ Drug Foundation Executive Director Sarah Helm said the figures highlight a growing and concerning trend.
“Cocaine consumption has been increasing since mid-2022. Cocaine carries increased risk of a few harms, including increased addiction and overdose,” she said.
According to Helm, the data paints a clear picture that current policy settings are failing to curb drug use or reduce harm.
“The dramatic increases in methamphetamine and cocaine consumption over the last two years are unprecedented,” she said.
She pointed to what she described as long-term underinvestment in treatment services and harm reduction, combined with an overreliance on supply-side enforcement strategies.
“Consumption is at record levels, drug use is diversifying, prices are down, harm is increasing, and new potent drugs are arriving. Every indicator is screaming at us to change our approach,” Helm said.
While acknowledging recent measures outlined in the Government’s Action Plan to Prevent and Reduce Substance Harm, Helm said they are unlikely to go far enough without broader reform.
“If we could wave a magic wand, we would do two things: vastly increase the spending on addiction treatment and harm reduction, and change our drug laws,” she said.
“While these things won’t remove all problems, the evidence is clear that it would reduce the worst harms and provide us with more tools to tackle the increase in harm. But if we continue doing more of the same, things will continue to get worse.”
Helm also pointed to the organisation’s report, Safer Drug Laws for Aotearoa NZ, as a potential roadmap for meaningful reform.
