Northern Advocate
  • Northern Advocate home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei
  • Kaipara
  • Mangawhai
  • Dargaville

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northern Advocate

Campervan converted into meth lab

Kristin Edge
Reporter·Northern Advocate·
30 Jun, 2016 08:32 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
A suspected methamphetamine lab was found inside a campervan in Moerewa on Monday.

A suspected methamphetamine lab was found inside a campervan in Moerewa on Monday.

From the outside it looks like a basic white campervan.

But inside the campervan it has been converted into a mobile methamphetamine laboratory.

Police discovered the converted campervan parked on a Moerewa property on Monday and have since been collecting evidence which will be tested to confirm methamphetamine was being produced.

The methamphetamine lab.
The methamphetamine lab.

Detective Inspector Kevin Burke said police had found what are believed to be chemicals and equipment used to make the highly addictive Class A drug.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mr Bourke said police were increasingly finding more of the smaller mobile meth labs in vehicles.

"It allows people the opportunity to move to different locations to carry out these cooks," Mr Burke said.

"Cooking in confined places is fraught with inherent risk and particularly dangerous if there are children present with such toxic chemicals being used."

Police have seized the campervan which will be forensically examined and depending on the contamination levels it could be destroyed.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Officers were following positive lines of inquiries and had identified two people they would like to speak to in relation to the campervan.

Mr Burke did not believe the vehicle was linked to the record meth bust in the Far North earlier this month where police seized 496kg of meth after it was landed on Ninety Mile Beach. Some of the stash was found buried in sand dunes.

It is the biggest stash of methamphetamine police have discovered in New Zealand and has a street value of almost $500 million.

Seven people have so far been arrested over that haul.

Discover more

New Zealand|crime

From scattering ashes to $494m of meth

14 Jun 07:56 PM
New Zealand|crime

Flood of meth violence overwhelms cops

15 Jun 08:31 PM

Meth case jury urged to listen carefully

28 Jun 08:35 PM
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Northern Advocate

Northern Advocate

Fighting for his name: Kaikohe leader distances himself from convicted abuser

19 Sep 05:00 PM
Premium
Opinion

Opinion: The ways AI is already reshaping our daily lives

19 Sep 04:55 PM
OpinionJonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson: Government disability funding backflip leaves families struggling

19 Sep 04:45 PM

Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northern Advocate

Fighting for his name: Kaikohe leader distances himself from convicted abuser
Northern Advocate

Fighting for his name: Kaikohe leader distances himself from convicted abuser

Matenga Te Kaha Ashby, 24, is an advocate against sexual violence, unlike his namesake.

19 Sep 05:00 PM
Premium
Premium
Opinion: The ways AI is already reshaping our daily lives
Opinion

Opinion: The ways AI is already reshaping our daily lives

19 Sep 04:55 PM
Jonny Wilkinson: Government disability funding backflip leaves families struggling
Jonny Wilkinson
OpinionJonny Wilkinson

Jonny Wilkinson: Government disability funding backflip leaves families struggling

19 Sep 04:45 PM


Kiwi campaign keeps on giving
Sponsored

Kiwi campaign keeps on giving

07 Sep 12:00 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northern Advocate e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Northern Advocate
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northern Advocate
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP