IR-01-25-22144
7 August 2025
Sarah Burns
[FYI request #31021 email]
Tēnā koe Sarah
Request for information
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request to Minister Seymour,
transferred to Police on 16 June 2025, in which you requested the fol owing:
1. Any analysis or modelling regarding:
•
The risk of pseudoephedrine being diverted into il icit methamphetamine
production
•
The potential impact of this policy on methamphetamine-related harm in
New Zealand.
2. Details of any monitoring or evaluation frameworks that were implemented to
assess the real-world impact of this policy, including changes in:
•
Methamphetamine use (e.g. wastewater data)
•
Domestic production or importation trends
•
Law enforcement activity related to pseudoephedrine or
methamphetamine.
3. A copy of any advice or statements from NZ Police—as referenced in your recent
comments—supporting the position that the reintroduction of pseudoephedrine
has not contributed to increased methamphetamine harm.
As you original y submitted your request to Associate Minister of Health Seymour, Police
has interpreted your request to be for information provided in relation to the Government’s
decision to make medicines containing pseudoephedrine available in New Zealand.
Police has identified the following four documents that are relevant to your request:
1. Excerpts from the Il icit Drug Assessment 2023, by the National Drug Intelligence
Bureau, sent to the Ministry of Health via email on 18 December 2023. This
document contains redactions under section 6(c) of the OIA, release would be
likely to prejudice the maintenance of the law, including the prevention,
investigation, and detection of offences, and the right to a fair trial. (9 pages)
2. Proposed changes to access to pseudoephedrine, by the National Drug
Intel igence Bureau, sent to the Ministry of Health via email on 20 December
2023. (2 pages)
3. Excerpts from advice to Ministry of Health on pseudoephedrine, sent to the
Ministry of Health via email on 20 December 2023. This document contains
redactions under section 6(c) of the OIA. (2 pages)
4. Excerpts from Minister of Police’s Weekly Report ending 14 January 2024. (1
page).
Please note that as part of its commitment to openness and transparency, Police
proactively releases some information and documents that may be of interest to the
public. An anonymised version of this response may be publicly released on the New
Zealand Police website.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this
decision. Information about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Bronwyn Donaldson
Manager Policy Group
New Zealand Police
