The coalition Government has agreed to a “bold and comprehensive” action plan to combat methamphetamine harm in New Zealand, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith says.
“Meth is a scourge on our society. Consumption doubled last year and ultimately, increased meth use fuels organised crime, and destroys lives.
“This Government’s primary justice target is to reduce the number of victims of crime.
“The Prime Minister [Christopher Luxon] tasked the Ministerial team to find effective ways to address this growing issue.
“Significant action is already under way, including investment in Customs, reviewing maritime security powers, police recruitment, establishing the Ministerial Advisory Group on Organised Crime, and Border Security Bill amendments.
“However, there’s more we can do to disrupt international supply, sharpen enforcement and reduce demand.
“The Government has agreed to a suite of actions it can promptly take, and has directed officials to begin working on them immediately.”
They include:
- A hard-hitting nationwide media campaign over four years, to deliver a consistent message and raise public awareness about meth-related harm, funded out of the proceeds of crime fund.
- Allocating $30 million over four years to increase the services available to communities hardest hit by meth, within the Vote Health mental health and addiction budget.
- Directing Customs, the Defence Force and GCSB to undertake a series of maritime operations to disrupt organised crime networks operating across the Pacific Ocean.
- Increasing police enforcement abilities, including being able to intercept communications and search evidence stored electronically.
- Enabling police to reclaim ill-gotten gains from organised crime groups as quickly and effectively as possible.
- Consult the maritime sector on a suite of proposals to strengthen border security and shut down opportunities for organised criminals to operate through our ports, such as strengthening background checks.
The Government has also agreed to an additional $23.1 million of funding to:
Establish new offshore liaison positions and increase collaboration with international partners focused on disrupting and preventing drug exports to New Zealand and the Pacific at their source.
Establish an additional money laundering team to increase Police’s ability to disrupt organised crime groups.
Funding the Resilience to Organised Crime in Communities work programme until December next year, which combats the harms of meth and organised crime through community-led responses to the harms and drivers of organised crime.
NZ Drug Foundation Te Puna Whakaiti Pāmamae Kai Whakapiri executive director Sarah Helm says the organisation welcomes the health-focused interventions to reduce methamphetamine harm that have been announced by the Government.
“It’s good to see an emphasis on health approaches in the Government’s announcement – it’s clear to everyone we can’t arrest our way out of this issue.
“The announced funding for increased services and support is desperately needed.
“Methamphetamine use has surged to unprecedented levels over the last 18 months, and with it we’ve seen increased harm in the community.
“This has landed on a sector that has been significantly underfunded for many years.
“By helping people, communities and families to address substance use disorder, we can both reduce demand and make a dent in supply, because people with long-term addiction often have to turn to selling the drug to help them pay for their own.
“Spending on treatment and harm reduction is also a better investment of taxpayer money than criminalising people, because it results in savings downstream in health, justice and social costs.”
