Three New Zealanders are dying every week from preventable drug overdoses, with new figures revealing 169 accidental deaths in 2025 and a disturbing increase in hospitalisations linked to methamphetamine and cocaine.
A new report from the New Zealand Drug Foundation paints a troubling picture of a decade of preventable deaths, growing stimulant use and persistent inequalities that continue to hit Māori communities hardest.
Drawing on coronial and Te Whatu Ora data, the report reveals that 1,440 New Zealanders have died from accidental drug overdoses over the past decade, with little progress in reducing the annual death toll.
The 169 deaths recorded in 2025 represented an estimated 6,659 years of potential life lost, highlighting the devastating impact on whānau, communities and the wider health system.
Māori Bearing the Greatest Burden
The report reveals significant ethnic disparities, with Māori continuing to experience disproportionately high rates of overdose deaths and hospitalisations.
Māori have twice the overdose hospitalisation rate and more than twice the overdose death rate of non-Māori.
The figures raise serious questions about access to addiction treatment, culturally appropriate services, early intervention and the availability of harm-reduction programmes.
The Drug Foundation is calling for targeted support for Māori communities as part of a comprehensive national overdose prevention strategy.
For whānau already facing barriers to healthcare, the findings underline the importance of accessible, community-based services that can respond before drug-related harm becomes a medical emergency.
Methamphetamine and Cocaine Driving New Concerns
While opioids remain the leading contributor to fatal overdoses, the report identifies a growing threat from stimulants.
Hospitalisations involving methamphetamine and cocaine have increased since 2023, coinciding with record levels of consumption identified through national wastewater testing over the past two years.
Drug Foundation executive director Sarah Helm warns that many people do not realise stimulants can also cause fatal overdoses.
Unlike opioid overdoses, which can suppress breathing, stimulant overdoses can cause dangerous increases in heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature.
This condition, sometimes referred to as overamping, can result in serious medical complications and death without urgent treatment.
The report also identifies a concerning pattern involving cocaine, with 16 of the 24 recorded overdose deaths involving the drug occurring between 2023 and 2025.
The Foundation warns that the long-term health consequences of increasing stimulant consumption may place additional pressure on hospitals and other health services in the years ahead.
Opioids and Mixing Drugs Remain Major Killers
Despite the increase in stimulant-related harm, opioids remain the biggest driver of overdose deaths.
They contributed to approximately half of all overdose deaths recorded since 2016 and remained the leading contributor in 2025.
The report also highlights the dangers associated with mixing substances.
Among cases where complete information was available, two or more drugs were involved in 85 percent of overdose deaths.
The findings demonstrate the risks associated with polysubstance use, particularly when people are unaware of the strength, composition or interactions of substances they have consumed.
Novel psychoactive substances are adding further uncertainty to the drug market.
These substances, which can mimic more familiar drugs while being significantly more potent, appeared in almost one in ten overdose cases recorded since 2016.
Middle-Aged New Zealanders at Highest Risk
The report identifies people aged 45 to 54 as having the highest overdose death rate.
The Drug Foundation says prevention programmes need to respond to the needs of groups experiencing the greatest harm, rather than relying solely on broad public awareness campaigns.
Helm says New Zealand’s failure to substantially reduce overdose deaths over the past decade reflects the need for a more coordinated, health-focused response.
She is also calling for better national monitoring of overdose deaths and hospitalisations.
Currently, the Foundation relies on gathering and analysing information from multiple sources, creating challenges in identifying emerging trends and responding quickly to changes in the drug market.
Calls for Naloxone, Legal Reform and Supervised Prevention Services
The Drug Foundation is calling for a comprehensive national overdose prevention programme, including several measures aimed at reducing preventable deaths.
These include a take-home naloxone scheme, similar to Australia’s, to make the opioid overdose reversal medicine more widely available.
The Foundation is also advocating for a pilot overdose prevention centre where people could access medically supervised support rather than using drugs in unsafe public environments.
Another proposal involves the Drug Overdose (Assistance Protection) Legislation Bill, which the Foundation says is before Parliament’s Health Committee.
The legislation is intended to reduce the risk of criminal penalties for people seeking emergency assistance during an overdose, addressing concerns that fear of prosecution may discourage people from calling for help.
The Foundation believes these measures, alongside better treatment access, targeted Māori services and stronger overdose monitoring, could prevent further loss of life.
A Preventable Loss of Life
The report’s central finding is that accidental overdose continues to claim lives at a rate of approximately three people every week.
Behind the statistics are whānau experiencing grief, children losing parents, communities losing loved ones and thousands of years of potential life cut short.
With stimulant consumption increasing, opioids continuing to drive deaths and Māori experiencing significantly higher rates of harm, the Drug Foundation is urging a shift towards prevention, treatment and coordinated public health action.
Its message is that overdose deaths are preventable, but reducing them will require sustained investment, better information and services that reach those most at risk.
People concerned about stimulant use and the signs of overamping can find harm-reduction information at https://thelevel.org.nz.
Anyone who suspects a person is experiencing an overdose should call 111 immediately.
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