Concerns Rise as Overdose Deaths Increase in New Zealand

The New Zealand Drug Foundation has raised alarms regarding a potential rise in drug overdose deaths in the country. Their newly released report, titled Drug Overdoses in Aotearoa 2025, reveals concerning trends in overdose fatalities from 2016 to 2024, drawing upon coronial data.

Executive Director Sarah Helm expressed her apprehensions about the increasing harm from stimulants. The report highlights a sharp uptick in the use of cocaine and methamphetamine, leading Helm to warn that this may mark the onset of a serious surge in hospitalizations and fatalities related to stimulant use. “Given what we know about the sustained higher levels of methamphetamine consumption, we fear that this may only be the beginning of a serious spike in hospitalisations and deaths from stimulants,” she stated.

Awareness of stimulant overdoses is particularly crucial, according to Helm, who noted that many individuals may not recognize the signs. Symptoms of a stimulant overdose can include a high temperature, difficulty breathing, extreme agitation or paranoia, chest pains, seizures, and loss of consciousness.

The report also points to an increase in deaths associated with novel substances. For the first time, potent synthetic opioids known as nitazenes and the black-market benzodiazepine bromazolam appear in official drug death statistics. Helm commented, “We’re worried about the increasing volatility of our local drug market and the number of novel substances that are now in the mix, especially with increasing use of online drug markets.”

Additionally, the report identifies drug mixing as a significant contributor to fatal overdoses. Helm emphasized that combining drugs, including over-the-counter medications and alcohol, dramatically elevates the risk of serious harm. “More than half of all deaths in closed coronial cases involved four or more different drugs. Mixing drugs—especially two or more depressants—significantly increases the risk,” she explained.

While provisional data indicates a slight decline in overall fatal overdoses in 2024, with 148 deaths reported compared to 177 in 2023, Helm stressed that the figures remain unacceptably high. “We are losing almost three New Zealanders every week to preventable overdose—twice the number of people we lose to drowning. That’s hundreds of families and loved ones suffering unimaginable grief.”

Helm criticized the current system, describing it as inadequately equipped and underfunded to effectively prevent and respond to drug-related harm. She called for an urgent need for a comprehensive overdose prevention plan for New Zealand. Among the recommendations outlined in the report are the implementation of a ‘Good Samaritan’ law to eliminate criminal penalties for individuals calling for help during an overdose incident, improved access to the opioid reversal medication naloxone, and the establishment of an overdose surveillance system for better real-time monitoring.

The findings of this report underscore the pressing need for comprehensive strategies to address the escalating crisis of drug overdoses in New Zealand. With increasing numbers of fatalities, the call for action has never been more critical.