Kia ora J,

On behalf of the Ministry of Transport, I acknowledge your Official Information Act request of 5 December 2025 seeking:

"1. Any documented methodology, guidance, or analytical notes held by the Ministry that explain how drug-detection data (from Police, ESR, coronial toxicology, or the Crash Analysis System) is interpreted for:
- official publications,
- road safety reporting, or
- policy advice.

Any documents that describe whether, and how, the Ministry compares drug-presence in crashes to baseline population drug-use prevalence, including:
- the data sources used, and
- whether any statistical adjustments are applied (e.g., for detection windows, testing likelihood, or relevance to impairment).

If no such methodology or normalisation process exists, please confirm this explicitly.
If part of this request is more appropriately answered by Waka Kotahi NZTA, NZ Police, ESR, or another agency, please transfer those portions under section 14 of the Act."

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and in any event no later than 26 January 2026 being 20 working days after the day your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.

The Ministry publishes Official Information Act responses on our website when there may be wider interest in the information released. This means the information provided to you might be published after you have received it.

Ngā mihi nui,
Heather

Heather
OIA Adviser | Ministerial & Executive Services
Ministry of Transport Te Manatū Waka
transport.govt.nz

-----Original Message-----
From: J. P. W. Pitt <[FOI #33141 email]>
Sent: Friday, 5 December 2025 7:01 am
To: OIA <[MOT request email]>
Subject: Official Information request - Normalisation of drug detection data from crashes and fatalities

Tēnā koutou,

I am requesting the following information under the Official Information Act 1982.

I seek documents created or used by the Ministry of Transport that describe how the Ministry interprets or normalises the presence of drugs in road crashes or fatalities, especially in relation to population-level drug use. This information is required to understand the basis on which any causal or contributory claims are made from drug-detection data.

Please provide:

Any documented methodology, guidance, or analytical notes held by the Ministry that explain how drug-detection data (from Police, ESR, coronial toxicology, or the Crash Analysis System) is interpreted for:
- official publications,
- road safety reporting, or
- policy advice.

Any documents that describe whether, and how, the Ministry compares drug-presence in crashes to baseline population drug-use prevalence, including:
- the data sources used, and
- whether any statistical adjustments are applied (e.g., for detection windows, testing likelihood, or relevance to impairment).

If no such methodology or normalisation process exists, please confirm this explicitly.

If part of this request is more appropriately answered by Waka Kotahi NZTA, NZ Police, ESR, or another agency, please transfer those portions under section 14 of the Act.

I am happy to receive the information in electronic form.

Ngā mihi,
J. Pitt

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #33141 email]

Is [MOT request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Ministry of Transport? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://fyi.org.nz/change_request/new?bo...

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://fyi.org.nz/help/officers

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

________________________________
MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

Wellington (Head Office) | Ground Floor, 3 Queens Wharf | PO Box 3175 | Wellington 6011 | NEW ZEALAND | Tel: +64 4 439 9000 |

Auckland | NZ Government Auckland Policy Office |Level 7, 167B Victoria Street West | PO Box 106238 | Auckland City | Auckland 1143 | NEW ZEALAND | Tel: +64 4 439 9000 |

Disclaimer: This email is only intended to be read by the named recipient. It may contain information which is confidential, proprietary or the subject of legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient you must delete this email and may not use any information contained in it. Legal privilege is not waived because you have read this email.

Please consider the environment before printing this email.
________________________________

hide quoted sections

Kia ora J. Pitt,

 

Please find attached our response to your Official Information Act Request
of 5 December.

 

Ngā mihi

 

Ministerial and Executive Services

 

 

-----Original Message-----
From: OIA <[MOT request email]>
Sent: Friday, 5 December 2025 10:15 am
To: J. P. W. Pitt <[FOI #33141 email]>
Subject: RE: Official Information request - Normalisation of drug
detection data from crashes and fatalities

 

Kia ora J,

 

On behalf of the Ministry of Transport, I acknowledge your Official
Information Act request of 5 December 2025 seeking:

 

"1.  Any documented methodology, guidance, or analytical notes held by the
Ministry that explain how drug-detection data (from Police, ESR, coronial
toxicology, or the Crash Analysis System) is interpreted for:

- official publications,

- road safety reporting, or

- policy advice.

 

Any documents that describe whether, and how, the Ministry compares
drug-presence in crashes to baseline population drug-use prevalence,
including:

- the data sources used, and

- whether any statistical adjustments are applied (e.g., for detection
windows, testing likelihood, or relevance to impairment).

 

If no such methodology or normalisation process exists, please confirm
this explicitly.

If part of this request is more appropriately answered by Waka Kotahi
NZTA, NZ Police, ESR, or another agency, please transfer those portions
under section 14 of the Act."

 

 

We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible, and in
any event no later than 26 January 2026 being 20 working days after the
day your request was received. If we are unable to respond to your request
by then, we will notify you of an extension of that timeframe.

 

The Ministry publishes Official Information Act responses on our website
when there may be wider interest in the information released. This means
the information provided to you might be published after you have received
it.

 

Ngā mihi nui,

Heather

 

 

Heather

OIA Adviser | Ministerial & Executive Services Ministry of Transport Te
Manatū Waka transport.govt.nz

 

 

 

-----Original Message-----

From: J. P. W. Pitt <[1][FOI #33141 email]>

Sent: Friday, 5 December 2025 7:01 am

To: OIA <[2][MOT request email]>

Subject: Official Information request - Normalisation of drug detection
data from crashes and fatalities

 

Tēnā koutou,

 

I am requesting the following information under the Official Information
Act 1982.

 

I seek documents created or used by the Ministry of Transport that
describe how the Ministry interprets or normalises the presence of drugs
in road crashes or fatalities, especially in relation to population-level
drug use. This information is required to understand the basis on which
any causal or contributory claims are made from drug-detection data.

 

Please provide:

 

Any documented methodology, guidance, or analytical notes held by the
Ministry that explain how drug-detection data (from Police, ESR, coronial
toxicology, or the Crash Analysis System) is interpreted for:

- official publications,

- road safety reporting, or

- policy advice.

 

Any documents that describe whether, and how, the Ministry compares
drug-presence in crashes to baseline population drug-use prevalence,
including:

- the data sources used, and

- whether any statistical adjustments are applied (e.g., for detection
windows, testing likelihood, or relevance to impairment).

 

If no such methodology or normalisation process exists, please confirm
this explicitly.

 

If part of this request is more appropriately answered by Waka Kotahi
NZTA, NZ Police, ESR, or another agency, please transfer those portions
under section 14 of the Act.

 

I am happy to receive the information in electronic form.

 

Ngā mihi,

J. Pitt

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

 

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:

[3][FOI #33141 email]

 

Is [4][MOT request email] the wrong address for Official Information
requests to Ministry of Transport? If so, please contact us using this
form:

[5]https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:

[6]https://apc01.safelinks.protection.outlo...

 

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please
ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA
page.

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT
Wellington (Head Office) | Ground Floor, 3 Queens Wharf | PO Box 3175 |
Wellington 6011 | NEW ZEALAND | Tel: +64 4 439 9000 |

Auckland | NZ Government Auckland Policy Office |Level 7, 167B Victoria
Street West | PO Box 106238 | Auckland City | Auckland 1143 | NEW ZEALAND
| Tel: +64 4 439 9000 |

Disclaimer: This email is only intended to be read by the named recipient.
It may contain information which is confidential, proprietary or the
subject of legal privilege. If you are not the intended recipient you must
delete this email and may not use any information contained in it. Legal
privilege is not waived because you have read this email.

Please consider the environment before printing this email.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

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