Zero tolerance: a clear head is safer when driving!
The New Zealand police has been successfully using DrugWipe rapid screening drug tests since the end of 2025.
Since the end of 2025, New Zealand has joined the mission to put the brakes on drug driving – and is doing so by using DrugWipe® rapid screening drug tests. This is an urgent initiative as the Ministry of Transport estimates that drug drivers are responsible for around 30 percent of all fatal accidents in the country every year. The new saliva tests – made possible by the Land Transport (Drug Driving) Amendment Act 2025 – mark an important step forward for national road safety.1
Background
The change of law in 2025 made it possible to take random saliva tests. The New Zealand government aims to conduct around 50,000 roadside drug tests every year.2
Pilot project in Wellington
In mid-December 2025, the New Zealand police launched a pilot project in the country’s capital, Wellington. Over 300 successful tests were performed in the first two months alone.3
Positive response and findings
Both the general public and the officials involved in testing returned positive feedback, as reported by the Director of Road Policing. The findings obtained were considered during the nationwide roll-out of the drug tests in mid-2026.3
Vehicle drivers can now be drug tested anywhere in the country and at any time.1
DrugWipe – custom-designed
The DrugWipe used is precisely tailored to the requirements of the New Zealand police. It reliably and hygienically tests for the following drugs in a matter of minutes:
- Cannabis (THC)
- Methamphetamine/MDMA (ecstasy)
- Cocaine
Better safety through deterrence
“National drug-driving testing will further bolster our policing efforts in making roads safer for all, and deterring drivers who are impaired whether by drugs or alcohol from endangering the lives of others.“
(Superintendent Steve Greally, Director of Road Policing)3
Methamphetamine tops the list with cannabis a close second
The crystal form of methamphetamine – also known as crystal meth – is heated then inhaled in vapour form or injected as a liquid.
The statistics from the positive first screening tests are rather unexpected. In nine of the 13 police districts, the tests detected methamphetamine just as often as cannabis, if not more often. This is astonishing as cannabis was previously regarded as the most commonly used drug in the country. However, methamphetamine has risen in popularity in recent years, as has also been shown by
the regular wastewater analyses, which test for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine. Cocaine, on the other hand, was only detected in five positive first screening tests performed at roadside.4, 5
DrugWipe:
detects up to 6 drug groups in just 5 minutes
Just ask – we’re always happy to help.
References:
1: No author (2023), Drug driving testing, Ministry of Transport (30.07.26); 2: No author (2026), Roadside drug testing rolls out nationwide: What you need to know, 1news.co.nz (8.9.26); 3: No author (2026), Roadside drug testing continues to boost road safety efforts, New Zealand Police (12.8.26); 4: Neville, A. (2026), Revealed: Six months of roadside drug testing in New Zealand, by the numbers, thespinoff.co.nz (8.9.26); 5: No author (2026), New Zealand Drugs in Wastewater Programme Overview Quarter One: January – March 2026, New Zealand Police (17.8.26)
Images provided by:
Securetec Detektions-Systeme AG; Adobe Stock: Lowpower, Meow Creations, Lakeview Images; kiwi DrugWipe in the header AI-generated with ChatGPT
