News

Whilst there are a number of risk factors, people who inject drugs bear the burden of Hepatitis C with 95% of new infections occurring within the injecting community. People who inject drugs make up a sizeable proportion of the 25,000 New Zealanders that we estimate are unaware that they may have hepatitis C. Earlier this year a pan genotypic treatment,Learn More

Today marks the 6th International Harm Reduction Day, a day focussed on promoting evidence based public health policy, practices and human rights. Established over 30 years ago, the New Zealand Needle Exchange Programme is one of New Zealand’s most successful public health programmes. Last year the programme distributed 3.75 million needles. Internationally, HIV prevalence amongst people who inject drugs isLearn More

The New Zealand Needle Exchange Programme welcomes the government’s announcement this morning, and its long awaited response to our current public health crisis relating to synthetic drugs. “We have been facing a public health crisis that needs an urgent response, people using synthetics and communities most affected are often the poor and most vulnerable in our community.” Says Kathryn Leafe,Learn More

We welcome the release of the Mental Health and Addictions Inquiry’s Report this morning. The report is a comprehensive analysis of the current challenges within our mental health and addiction sector and we look forward to digesting the 219 page report in full. With over 40 recommendations to government, the Inquiry has joined the call for a more health-based approachLearn More

At the New Zealand Needle Exchange Programme, we welcome the report released yesterday by Sense Partners and the New Zealand Drug Foundation. As a drug user-based programme, this is an issue that is particularly important and very personal to us. We’ve long argued for a health-based approach and the research shows that this is the most effective response in addressingLearn More

Watch our Executive Director make this powerful statement on stigma to the CND. Learn More