New Zealand’s escalating border drug problem is increasingly being seen as a clear sign of weakening border control, with interception figures pointing to a system under mounting pressure.
A Cabinet paper obtained by Newstalk ZB shows drug interceptions more than quadrupled from 1.5 tonnes in 2018 to 6.5 tonnes in 2024, while the amount seized at Auckland Airport in just the first four months of last year was already higher than the total seized across all airports for the whole of 2024. These figures highlight the scale of the challenge facing enforcement agencies at the border.
Customs Minister Casey Costello says New Zealand is “being hit hard”, with supply chains, technology and falling production costs making the country an increasingly attractive target for organised crime.
“This idea that New Zealand used to be far away and that we are somewhat isolated – that’s not the case anymore,” she said.
Officials estimate that harm from illicit drugs costs the country about $36.7 million per week, or roughly $1.9 billion each year, while organised drug crime and related fraud generates approximately $1.6 billion in annual profits.
Costello says methamphetamine remains particularly appealing to cartels because New Zealand has some of the highest street prices in the Western world. She adds that drugs are being smuggled through every available channel, including parcels, freight, couriers, airports, and unaccompanied baggage, indicating that border systems are being exploited across multiple vulnerabilities.
“We’re not winning, but I wouldn’t say we’re losing,” Costello said.
The government says it is strengthening coordination efforts, increasing funding for customs, and enhancing information sharing, alongside a wider anti-crime strategy that targets not only drugs but also facilitators, money mules, and those enabling supply chains.