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Summarised by Centrist
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand is changing tack on methamphetamine after a sharp rise in use and a shift in the drug trade across the Pacific.
Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith called the initiative a “bold and comprehensive action plan” aimed at dismantling the syndicates flooding the country with meth. “Consumption doubled last year and ultimately, increased meth use fuels organised crime and destroys lives,” he said.
Luxon told Newstalk ZB that organised crime groups from Central and South America were reshaping the regional market and drawing New Zealand into their supply routes. “We’re up against now big Mexican drug cartels that are actually sending boats, submarines into the Pacific,” he said. Meth prices remain far higher here than in North America, which he argues keeps the country attractive to international syndicates.
The plan expands surveillance and interception powers, creates a new police money-laundering unit, and launches joint maritime patrols across the Pacific to “find, deter and disrupt shipments before they reach New Zealand.”
Associate Police Minister Casey Costello said the approach demanded closer coordination. “We know what works. But we know we can do better and do more.”
The $30 million investment will fund community treatment programmes, while $5.9 million seized from organised crime will go toward a national prevention campaign.
The government says it will now coordinate with Pacific partners to curb trafficking and strengthen New Zealand’s border response.
