The Drugs in Wastewater programme provides early detection of some drug use trends, enabling targeted responses to reduce drug harm.
Methamphetamine use in New Zealand doubled over the winter of 2024, an unexpected 96 per cent spike revealed by the Drugs in Wastewater programme. The Prime Minister convened a 'Meth Sprint' team to develop a response, including the ministers of justice, police, customs and mental health.
The cause of the sharp rise in meth use remains unknown, but the wastewater data analysed by PHF Science enabled the significant increase in consumption to be identified early, allowing agencies to review existing responses and supports and identify any changes needed to better address the change in methamphetamine use.
Analysing wastewater for the presence of specific drugs serves as an early warning system that informs efforts to protect New Zealand communities from drug harm. “Before we started doing this, there was a huge information gap,” says PHF Science senior scientist Andrew Chappell. “Wastewater testing shows the volume of drugs consumed in a community. The wastewater data is brought together with information from other sources to gain greater insights on whether the use is likely to be harmful – and ultimately that's what matters.”
For each of the drugs it tests for, scientists at PHF Science measure a unique metabolite produced by the body in response to consuming the drug. Samples of wastewater are provided by councils for seven consecutive days, analysed in the lab, then calculated as ‘per capita’ drug consumption figures for each area. The lab has steadily expanded from two trial sites in 2016, to 63 testing sites across the country, monitoring an increasing range of substances.
Aotearoa New Zealand’s Drugs in Wastewater programme is now the most comprehensive wastewater testing programme in the world, with population coverage close to 80%. Every single sample has tested positive for methamphetamine.
The Drugs in Wastewater programme is a close partnership led by the National Drug Intelligence Bureau, funded by the Police, and includes local councils. “We're working as partners to make a really comprehensive programme that has a purpose,” says Chappell. “That's the big difference between what we're doing in New Zealand and much of the similar work done overseas.”
Jock O’Keeffe, New Zealand Police manager of partnerships and harm prevention, says that wastewater testing has become an important information source, particularly for measuring the success of enforcement and resilience activities in the communities. “Everyone looks at the wastewater data to see how their district is performing,” he says. In Opotiki, wastewater testing was used after a six-month investigation to evaluate the success of enforcement activity in the town, showing that drug use was suppressed and sustained for several months.
Drugs in Wastewater data is included in the New Zealand Drug Harm index, published by the Ministry of Health and generated by the National Drug Intelligence Bureau, and informs harm-reduction organisations like Know Your Stuff and High Alert.
The programme also helps the health system understand substance consumption trends in different communities which is important for local harm reduction and treatment providers to ensure the most appropriate services are available to the community.
Whangārei was the programme’s third trial site for wastewater testing. The results showed levels of meth use double that in Auckland, supporting the need for methamphetamine harm reduction. Te Ara Oranga, an integrated Police and health model, has since helped more than 3000 Northland people and their whānau, with benefits of $3 to $7 for every dollar invested.
“Everyone thinks they've got a bigger problem than everyone else, but wastewater testing can help quantify that," says Chappell. "Once a community confirms there is a big issue, they can use those figures to advocate for resources and increased harm reduction and treatment services.”
PHF Science and collaborators can test wastewater for a wide range of chemicals beyond drugs. Current projects range from prostate cancer biomarkers to tracking the shift from tobacco to vaping. With future applications ranging from pesticides to food additives, PHF Science’s wastewater testing will continue collecting data that provides crucial information on how to help keep New Zealand communities safer.