Social Hazards

Social hazards continue to present persistent and evolving challenges across alcohol use, illicit drug use, gambling and problem debt in New Zealand. While several indicators show little change in the past year, longer-term trends reveal gradual improvement in some areas alongside deepening harm in others.

The weekly consumption of illicit drugs graph (next page) shows national illicit‑drug consumption trends from the New Zealand Police’s National Drugs in Wastewater Testing Programme for methamphetamine, MDMA and cocaine between June 2020 and September 2025. Results for the quarter ending June 2025 indicate sustained high consumption across all three drugs, following sharp increases through late 2024.

Methamphetamine use was relatively stable from 2020 to mid‑2023 (12–17 kg/week) before rising steeply in late 2024, peaking at 36 kg/week in December 2024. Although levels eased to 33 kg/week in March 2025 and 29.1 kg/week in June 2025, they rose again to 30.8 kg/week by September 2025. These figures remain more than double the 2022–2023 average of around 13 kg/week.

MDMA consumption remained steady at 5–6 kg/week from 2020 to mid‑2023, spiked to 8.5 kg/week in September 2024, then settled back to around 6–7 kg/week through 2025, indicating stable but persistent use. Cocaine, by contrast, shows the fastest growth—rising from under 1 kg/week in 2020 to 2.7 kg/week by late 2023, climbing to 5.5 kg/week in September 2024 and reaching a new high of 6.4 kg/week in September 2025.

Estimates of average total weekly consumption of selected illicit drugs (kgs)—2020–2025 (quarterly)

New Zealanders lost $2.79 billion to gambling in the year to June 2024—up 1.1 percent from 2023 and 33.5 percent over the decade. Gaming machines outside casinos accounted for the largest share at $1.04 billion. Electronic gambling machines (EGMs) remain New Zealand’s largest source of gambling losses, even as machine numbers continue to fall under sinking-lid policies. By 2025, there were 13,810 EGMs nationwide—299 fewer than in 2024 (next column, first graph). Despite this decline, annual spending per machine remains high: gaming machine profits (GMP) per EGM was $72,967 in 2025, similar to 2024 levels. When adjusted for inflation, average losses per machine fell to $54,987. To put this in perspective, each EGM generates more income in a year than a full‑time minimum‑wage worker earns annually—which is approximately $48,880. This pattern shows that although EGM numbers are decreasing, the remaining machines continue to generate substantial gambling losses.

Arrears represent the share of borrowers falling behind on repayments across mortgages, credit cards, personal loans and other consumer credit. In 2025, arrears remained persistently high, indicating continued financial stress despite stable overall debt levels. After peaking at 13.1 percent in early 2024, the arrears rate eased only marginally, fluctuating between 12 percent and 12.7 percent throughout 2025. By September 2025, arrears sat at 12 percent, still well above pre‑pandemic norms. This sustained elevation may reflect pressures such as high interest rates, elevated living costs and slow wage growth, all of which can reduce disposable incomes and make it harder for households to keep up with repayments. However, the drivers of arrears are often more complex, involving a wider mix of financial, social and personal factors that affect families differently.

Number of electronic gaming machines in New Zealand and GMP per machine annually—2020–2025 (June years)

Centrix: percentage of consumer arrears—2020–2025 (quarterly)

These social hazards present a complex and uneven landscape, with some measures improving gradually over time and others showing persistent or emerging pressures. Together, these trends reflect interconnected challenges that continue to evolve and require coordinated policy responses to make a difference.

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Data: Interactive Dashboard

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