Drug testing tents to be introduced at Ohakune's Mardi Gras Festival

Last year 9000 people attended the Mardi Gras, and organisers expect the same this year. Photo / Ethan Griffins

Ohakune's Mardi Gras will have drug testing tents on site for the first time next weekend.

The outdoor music festival happening next weekend is the biggest event on the Ruapehu town's calendar and is hosting acts from the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

With around 9000 people expected to attend this year, the one-day annual festival, on June 18, is always a boost to the local economy. Last year it was estimated to have brought $1.5million into the area.

KnowYourStuffNZ, operating in partnership with the NZ Drug Foundation, provides drug checking and drug-related information at festivals and events and will be at Mardi Gras for the first time.

The event will be held just two weeks after three hospitalisations were linked to an unknown brown powder being sold as the drug MDMA in Whanganui.

National Drug Intelligence Bureau Detective Inspector Blair MacDonald said
testing was recommended to help lower risks.

"Drug testing ensures people know what substance they have and the risks associated with taking them," MacDonald said.

"They can then make an informed choice on taking them, rather than taking a gamble with drugs and therefore their lives."

Although KnowYourStuffNZ cannot release statistics from specific events, its 2020-21 report shows nationwide it attended 27 events and tested 2744 drug samples between April 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021.

Its first report from 2016-17 showed it tested 330 samples and went to nine events.

Of those samples tested in the 2020-21 period, 69 per cent of the drug holders believed they had MDMA.

National Drug Intelligence Bureau Detective Inspector Blair MacDonald said testing was recommended to help lower risks. Photo / Supplied

Sixty-nine per cent of the substances tested consistent with what clients thought they were, which was the lowest since reporting began in 2016.

The Drug and Substance Checking Legislation Act 2021 introduced last November allows harm-reduction organisations like KnowYourStuffNZ to check and handle illicit substances at events openly and without fear of prosecution.

Before the recent law change, it was illegal to provide a venue for people to take drugs, and KnowYourStuffNZ still operated within the law but existed in a legal grey area.

Ohakune events charitable trust chairman Stu Robinson said he was really pleased with the change in legislation, and excited for KnowYourStuffNZ to be at the festival.

"We tried to get them to come last year and the police were supportive, but the dates and availability didn't quite work out," Robinson said.

"This year we started the conversation from the outset, and now it's a nationwide-supported ideal for major festivals and concerts."

Ohakune events charitable trust chairman Stu Robinson said the more safety while still allowing the freedoms of a good night the better. Photo / Supplied

He said he wanted the 9000 people were coming to town to have the best experience, and to do so safely.

"You're paying good money to see top acts, you don't want to get smashed as and not remember anything," Robinson said.

"The more safety you can have and still allow the freedoms of enjoying a really good night, it makes things so much better."

And he said the drug testing tents would help provide more safety.

He said attitudes were changing and he believed attendees wanted to enjoy the festival as much as possible without "trying to get as wasted as possible".

"The message is getting across. People are generally behaving well."

The Powderhorn Chateau reception manager, Scarlett Howard, said it didn't have many problems with intoxicated people at the last Mardi Gras.

"Most people were really good. We've obviously got security here so no one comes into the buildings too intoxicated," Howard said.

Likewise, a police spokeswoman said police were generally pleased with the behaviour displayed at Mardi Gras in 2021.

"There were four arrests made for minor disorder-related incidents," she said.

Howard said it was definitely the Powderhorn Chateau's busiest time of the year, with the hotel fully booked all weekend.

It seemed to also be the case for the rest of Ohakune next weekend, with no available accommodation listed online in the town.

The festival is situated on the corner of Thames and Rimu Streets in Ohakune, right outside the Powderhorn Chateau. Photo / Supplied

The Powderhorn Chateau is also home to the restaurant, Powderkeg, and the building is situated right in the midst of the street party.

"All our staff are rostered, as the party literally corners off around our block and the Powderkeg has its own ticketed event," she said.

"It's really good - the more people that come the more money goes back into the community."

So far all early-bird, firs- release and release tickets have sold out, with only final-release tickets still available.