Summarised by Centrist
Starting in Wellington this December, police will roll out random roadside drug testing, which allows testing of drivers with no apparent impairment, despite science being unable to confirm actual impairment.
A nationwide rollout is expected by mid-2026.
The new oral-fluid tests will detect cannabis (THC), methamphetamine, MDMA, and cocaine, and any driver can now be stopped and tested without showing signs of impairment.
Drivers who return two positive results will face an automatic 12-hour suspension and an infringement notice. Refusing the test will also bring a fine. The government says most motorists will be back on the road “within five minutes” if they test negative.
Police Minister Mark Mitchell described the tests as a “welcome tool in the enforcement toolbox.”
However, civil liberties advocates argue that the tests prove presence, not impairment. “Unlike with alcohol, the presence of a substance in a sample does not equal impairment,” said Sarah Helm of the NZ Drug Foundation.
The government release did not detail data on test accuracy, false positives, or how saliva samples and driver data will be stored. The Greens and Te Pāti Māori opposed the bill, arguing it normalises invasive policing without clear evidence of safety gains.
The AA has also warned that police may struggle to operate the tests at the same scale as alcohol checkpoints. Former Transport Minister Simeon Brown previously announced that the police expect to undertake 50,000 roadside drug tests per year.
Editor’s note: The government’s new roadside drug testing regime comes just weeks after police admitted a major breath-testing scandal involving falsified results. More than 100 officers are under investigation, and all frontline staff have been ordered to retrain before December.
