About half of all homes tested from 2023 to 2025 showed meth residue.
New residential methamphetamine testing data suggests that meth contamination remains a persistent and structural housing risk in New Zealand as half of homes tested positive.
National testing data from Safe & Healthy Home Solutions showed that about half of all properties tested between 2023 and 2025 recorded detectable meth residue.
Miles Stratford, managing director at Safe & Healthy Home Solutions, said from a housing-risk perspective, Northland provides a clear example of how increased use translates directly into increased environmental exposure.
It could act as a leading indicator of broader trends if similar conditions emerge elsewhere.
“What stands out in the data is not a sudden increase or decrease, but how consistent the percentages remain.
“That consistency tells us meth contamination is now embedded in parts of the housing system, particularly where screening happens late or only on suspicion.”
While some suspicion-based testing occurs, a substantial proportion of testing in Northland is routine and due diligence-driven.
He said the results were not unusual or surprising.
“We have been doing work up in Northland for some years now and what we have been seeing in properties is reflected in the wider evidence, like wastewater testing.”
He said some families only discovered contamination after unexplained health issues emerged, including skin conditions, sleep problems, irritability or respiratory problems that seemingly improve once they are away from the property.
He said while not all contamination reaches levels considered immediately dangerous, the uncertainty alone was affecting how people feel about renting and buying homes.
“If you ask people how much meth they’d be comfortable living with, the answer is usually zero. But that is not what we are seeing.”
Far North-based real estate agent Sean Stratton said positive meth tests were a regular occurrence across the Far North and wider Northland.
“Over the last few years, we have seen consistent levels of positive testing across the areas we operate in.”
He said they have seen examples of contamination across the property spectrum from high-value to low-value properties.
“Unfortunately, it is a problem that doesn’t discriminate or have social boundaries.”
Stratton said in some cases properties can be cleaned and returned to the market within days.
More severe contamination can take weeks and require the replacement of carpets, drapes and other soft furnishings.
He said while meth testing had not yet had a clear impact on rental availability or pricing, added costs for landlords are often reflected in rent over time.
“We encourage landlords to get tests done between tenancies or at other times where there may be concerns with a property.
“Most landlords have a desire to provide a safe, healthy home to their tenants and would not want to put tenants at risk.
“The new guidelines when implemented should remove confusion and ambiguity for both landlords and tenants and provide a firm action plan about what needs to be done to remediate any issues.”
The Government announced new rules will come into effect later this year that establish clear rules for testing, decontamination, and tenancy management where methamphetamine residue is found.
Under the regulations, rental properties will require decontamination if detailed tests show methamphetamine residue levels exceed 15mcg/100cm2 (micrograms per hundred square centimetres). In these cases, properties will need to be decontaminated until residue levels are at or below this threshold (15mcg/100cm2).
The regulations will also make clear what level of contamination is severe enough for landlords and tenants to be able to rapidly end a tenancy (when residue levels exceed 30mcg/100cm2), the responsibilities landlords have for managing methamphetamine contamination, including when to test for its rules for testing and decontamination, and how to manage abandoned goods left in contaminated properties.
MBIE’s head of tenancy Kat Watson said landlords must provide a clean and habitable property.
“If landlords knowingly rent out contaminated properties, they may be breaching their obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986. They may also be breaching other legislation such as the Building Act 2004 and the Health Act 1956.”
She added that tenants on the other hand, must not use a rental property for unlawful purposes or allow others to do so.
“This includes smoking or manufacturing methamphetamine.”