IR-01-26-4816
24 February 2026
F Cook
[FYI request #33687 email]
Tēnā koe
Thank you for your Official Information Act 1982 (OIA) request received 11 February
2026, in which you asked about Oral Fluid Testing. I have answered each part of your
request below:
It is noted that: "From December 2025, Police began testing drivers in the
Wel ington region which wil expand across New Zealand with all regions
expected to be roadside drug testing by mid-2026."
https://www.police.govt.nz/advice-services/drugs-and-alcohol/updates-drug-
driving-legislation
Can it be detailed the national rol out plan for use of oral fluid testing. Including:
1. What is the mid-2026 date indicated
Police are currently planning the sequence of al Police Districts to be trained and
implement roadside drug driving testing. National rol out starts in April. Police are looking
to be operational nationwide in July this year, and drug driving testing targets start being
accounted for from 1 July 2026.
2. Are there other deciding factors on a national rol out outside of time &
procurement of the tests themselves
A key deciding factor wil be geographical location as Police Districts wil support
neighbouring Districts as they are trained.
3. Wil media reporting be engaged as oral fluid testing rolls out
Yes. As the oral fluid testing programme is rol ed out, Police wil undertake
communications through our standard media channels. This wil include the use of media
releases and other public communications as appropriate. Police also work with partner
agencies who may also engage media and support the oral fluid testing rol out via a
public education campaign.
4. Wil oral fluid testing be rol ed out national y al at once. If not al at once,
when wil each region wil next see oral fluid testing in use, by each
region
Police National Headquarters 180 Molesworth Street. PO Box 3017, Wellington 6140, New Zealand.
Telephone: 04 474 9499. Fax: 04 498 7400. www.police.govt.nz
Police wil not rol out drug driving testing nationally all at once, it wil be staggered across
Police Districts between April to June/July 2026. The exact sequence of Police Districts
and when they start wil be determined in April.
5. How many oral fluid test devices wil be expected to be available for the
police force to use within 2026, 2027, & 2028. By year, (by each region if
allocated regionally)
New Zealand Police have made an initial order of 30,000 DrugWipe 3S devices. With a
national target of delivering 50,000 first-stage roadside drug tests, future orders wil be
determined by national use and the number of positive tests requiring a second screening
device.
The annual District (or regional) target is yet to be agreed.
If you are not satisfied with the way I have responded to your request, you have the right
under section 28(3) of the OIA to ask the Ombudsman to review my decisions.
Information on how to do this is available online at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz.
Yours sincerely
Superintendent Steve Greal y
Director: Road Policing
New Zealand Police
