Covering period of Thursday 9th – Monday 13th October
 
–    Heavy persistent rain for the South Island’s west coast
–    Strong persistent northwesterly winds for many
–    Warm temperatures across the board, muggy days and muggy nights
–    A spring mix of unsettled weather

Spring shows its true colours as we settle into a variable rhythm across Aotearoa New Zealand this week, delivering everything from heavy rain and gales to muggy nights and cloudy skies.

A warm, moisture-laden system is tracking over the country from the Tasman Sea, bringing long-lived rain to the West Coast of the South Island, where Heavy Rain Watches and Warnings are in place. Stalling over Buller tonight (Thursday), with a prolonged Heavy Rain Warning in place for the 37 hours from midnight tonight until 1 pm Saturday; expecting up to 350mm of rain to fall over that period. The largest accumulations are expected about the ranges.

Strong northwesterly winds are expected for the Canterbury High Country, with a Strong Wind Warning in effect today and tomorrow morning. Foehn winds are likely to make an appearance for Cantabrians, dry, gusty, and unseasonably warm. Fire Emergency New Zealand has a moderate fire risk in place for the region, so be sure to follow appropriate guidance if lighting fires.

MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden explains:

“This is one of those weeks where west and east have very different experiences. While the West Coast braces for rain, places like North Otago, Canterbury and Marlborough could be drying out fast under gusty northwest winds, with temperatures hitting the mid 20’s for some. It’s a very spring-like-pattern.”

For the North Island, the weather doesn’t turn dramatic, but it does see its fair share of active weather. Persistent westerlies will continue to feed cloud and drizzly conditions into western parts of North Island, with limited sunshine and muggy nights. Temperatures of around 27 degrees are expected for the likes of Hastings on Friday, with lows hovering in the mid-teens across the board. A “grey and warm” combination for Kiwis to enjoy.

By the weekend, there’s not much shift in the setup. The West Coast sees a brief easing of rain on Saturday, only to be met by another front arriving from the south late in the day, bringing showers again by Sunday. Meanwhile, much of the North Island and eastern South Island continue with a mix of cloud, wind, and spring warmth.

Stay up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings at metservice.com, or on the MetService app.

A major new report proposes evidence-based reform to New Zealand’s drug laws in response to growing drug harm that the Drug Foundation says will worsen without action.  ref. https://drugfoundation.org.nz/topics/policy-and-advocacy/safer-drug-laws?mc_cid=91522b36a3&mc_eid=19a223383c )

Safer drug laws for Aotearoa New Zealand, released by the Foundation at Parliament this morning on the 50th anniversary of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975, examines the impact of New Zealand’s drug laws and the growing evidence of law reform efforts overseas.

Executive Director Sarah Helm says the law has been a major driver of harm while outlawing interventions that could help.

“The evidence shows that our drug laws have exacerbated addiction, overdose, deaths and criminalisation,” she says.

“In the past 12-18 months alone, we have seen methamphetamine and cocaine use double, new potent substances enter the drug supply, communities overrun with drug harm, and 3,000 New Zealanders criminalised for cannabis consumption.”

“Our drug laws are unsafe and the status quo is untenable – things are only going to get worse if we fail to act. We do not want to end up with the kinds of drug issues being seen in North America.”

“It is hard to see how any of the MPs who ushered in the Misuse of Drugs Act fifty years ago would consider what’s transpired since to be anything but a colossal failure,” Helm says.

The report paints a grim picture of the law’s impact:

• Drug-related deaths have risen steadily, reaching nearly three fatal overdoses every week in 2024
• Chronic harms such as substance use disorder have increased, with services under increasing strain
• The global illicit drug supply has become more volatile and toxic
• Māori have faced disproportionately severe impacts, accounting for more than half of those imprisoned for drug offences in 2023 and suffering a fatal overdose rate twice that of non-Māori.

The report pulls together evidence from a wide range of law reform models and harm reduction interventions implemented internationally, including 34 countries and 36 sub-jurisdictions that have decriminalised cannabis use, and 22 countries that have decriminalised all drug use.

Helm says that after careful consideration of the evidence, decriminalisation of drug use, coupled with significant investment in health and harm reduction services, has the clearest evidence of success – offering a reduction in problematic use in particular.

“Portugal’s two decades of experience of decriminalisation is compelling,” she says.

“Overdose deaths fell dramatically, HIV transmission rates plummeted, and the burden on the criminal justice system was eased, all without an increase in drug use. Portugal now has one of the lowest rates of drug-related deaths in the EU.”

A poll commissioned by the Drug Foundation in 2022 found that 61% of New Zealanders supported ‘removing penalties for drug use and putting in place more support for education and treatment’. 68% supported ‘rewriting the Misuse of Drugs Act and putting in place a health-based approach’.

Helm says a big factor in Portugal’s success was that decriminalisation was coupled with substantial investment in health support and harm reduction.

“Our report is very clear that any law reform efforts must be coupled with significant investment in support, including ringfenced funding for services designed and delivered by Māori, who have experience the greatest harm from our current laws,” she says.

The report also recommends a new regulatory framework that would empower a health agency to licence harm reduction interventions (such as overdose prevention centres, safer utensils and more flexible drug checking).

“At the moment the law prevents us from implementing many life-saving overdose and harm reduction measures that would reduce social and health costs upstream. We shouldn’t have to go through a lengthy legislative process each time we want to put common sense life-saving measures in place.”

“We need a responsive and flexible regime that gives an appropriate health agency the power to monitor the evidence and make decisions at arms-length, with clear goals to improve health outcomes.”

The report suggests that a similar framework could be used to enable future regulation of lower-risk substances where there is growing harm or new evidence.

It shows that regulated access to cannabis can work, but design matters.

“The evidence was clear that commercial models don't work,” says Helm. “They are successful at displacing the illicit market, but overall drive up health harms.”

“Not-for-profit models implemented in Malta, Uruguay, and more recently Germany, have been shown to displace the illicit market without introducing some of the less desirable outcomes we’ve seen from more commercialised legal models in North America.”

“For other lower-risk substances, the evidence for regulated supply doesn’t yet exist, so we have stopped short of recommending this, but we recommend shifting to a more flexible legal framework that would allow us to assess emerging evidence on a case-by-case basis. What may seem out of the question now might change in the future with a rapidly changing illicit drug market, and having options to respond will be important.”

Helm says that no one has all the answers to drug harm, but the report pulls together the latest evidence of what has been shown to work.

“The reforms we suggest are not about liberalisation – in fact they offer the opposite: regulation, safety and control,” she says.

“We are realistic – we don’t expect these recommendations to be picked up from day one, but we hope that they help inform decision-makers and are the start of a conversation. Everyone can see that the status quo is completely untenable – we need to do things differently.”

“We are really pleased to have the Cross-Party Mental Health and Addictions Wellbeing Group receiving the report today.”

The report was developed with the generous support of the Michael and Suzanne Borrin Foundation.

Report overview:

Chapters:

·       Chapter I (Misuse of Drugs Act 1975 in action) uses national data sources to examine drug use, harm and justice responses that have occurred under the Misuse of Drugs Act, including:

o   prevalence of substance use

o   health statistics (fatal overdose, poisonings, and substance use disorders)

o   criminal justice measures (convictions and charges)

o   illicit market measures (drug seizures, availability, and price)

o   limited social indicators

·       Chapter II (Law Commission review of Misuse of Drugs Act 1975) reexamines the 2011 Law Commission review.

·       Chapter III (Achieving hauora: Aspirations of people affected by current drug laws) presents original research undertaken with communities at risk of drug harm in Aotearoa New Zealand, including a large survey and a series of workshops.

·       Chapter IV (Alternative options for drug control – lessons from other countries) presents an overview of evidence from jurisdictions that have attempted drug law reform and considers lessons for law reform in Aotearoa New Zealand.

·       Chapter V (Te Tiriti o Waitangi and drug law reform) discusses the impacts of the Misuse of Drugs Act on Māori and identifies lessons from other jurisdictions.

Proposed principles to guide drug law reform:

1.     Reduce social impacts of drug harm on all New Zealanders

2.    Reduce acute harms, such as overdose, and chronic harms, such as substance use disorder.

3.    Reduce the impact of criminalisation, especially among communities disproportionately affected by it, and reduce the scale and profits of the illicit market.

4.    Ensure people who use drugs can access health support and harm reduction information free from fear of prosecution, stigma, or discrimination.

5.    Enable appropriate access for all New Zealanders to therapeutic drugs that can benefit their health.

6.    Uphold te Tiriti o Waitangi and ensure Māori leadership and resourcing in policy development and service provision.

7.     Prioritise the health and social outcomes of regulation, and prevent excessive corporate influence on regulatory settings.

Recommendations for safer drug laws:

1.               Decriminalise drug use as a foundation for change

i.   Decriminalise personal possession and use of drugs, including utensils.

ii.   Refocus enforcement away from policing use and possession offences and towards tackling supply and improving compliance with any new regulatory systems.

iii. Ensure that any regulatory changes are accompanied by monitoring of health and social outcomes.

iv. Put in place broad protections for people who seek help in the event of a drug overdose or acute substance harm, e.g., through Overdose Good Samaritan clauses.

v.  Apply a clean slate to previous possession/use offences.

vi. Ensure pathways to regulated systems and away from illicit markets remain open for those impacted by criminalisation. This includes transition from illegal economy to legal supply.

vii.  Decriminalise cultivation of a small number of cannabis plants for personal use.

2.              Redirect resources to health in an equitable way

i.    Substantially increase the provision of harm reduction, prevention, early intervention, and substance use disorder (SUD)  treatment services.

ii.     Increase access to specialist treatment interventions for people whose SUD drives their offending. These interventions must focus on reducing reoffending by addressing SUD within the context of criminal behaviour, rather than relying on imprisonment.

3.              Establish harm reduction as responsive public health infrastructure

i.    Set clear goals to improve health outcomes and reduce drug harm in any new legislation.

ii.   Enable more harm reduction and overdose prevention measures immediately, such as overdose prevention centres, safer utensils provisions, and a more diversified and flexible drug checking regime.

iii. Ensure legislation enables ongoing adaptation and development of harm reduction and overdose prevention measures that are responsive to emerging risks and needs. Empower an appropriate health agency with discretionary powers and establish a rapidly responsive licensing system for harm reduction interventions.

iv. Ensure legislation enables treatment and prescribing for people with substance dependence to evolve with changing drug supply issues, in line with international best clinical practice guidance, in all appropriate settings.

v.   Enable professional facilitation of psychedelic assisted therapies, including beyond medicalised settings. Prioritise participant safety by putting in place strict product quality controls, and workforce regulation.

4.              Enable responsible regulation of lower-harm substances

i.    Replace the drug classification system with a more flexible legal framework that grants an appropriate health agency the power to review emerging evidence and strictly regulate lower-risk substances for adults on a case-by-case basis, based on expert advice. Expert advice must meaningfully include the contribution of people with lived experience and ensure the rights of Māori are upheld.

ii.   Regulate legal supply of cannabis through this framework via a non-commercial model, such as not-for-profit associations.

iii. Utilise regulatory measures to limit harms of any regulated substance, such as:

·       age restrictions, price and potency controls, warning signs, and requirements to provide harm reduction and help information;

·       limits on product appeal and availability;

·       bans or restrictions on advertising of products and suppliers;

·       measures to prevent influence of commercial groups on public policy or messaging.

iv. Amend the Psychoactive Substances Act and harmonise it with the new regulatory regime.

5.              Uphold te Tiriti and protecting taonga

i.    Ringfence part of the increased funding for harm reduction and SUD treatment for Māori to empower and resource whānau, hapū, and iwi to roll out appropriate interventions as they determine.

ii.   Ensure Māori are able to exercise tino rangatiratanga over taonga fungi that are currently listed as prohibited plants under the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Today, on World Post Day, we reflect on the power of communication to connect people, bridge distances, and uphold the dignity of every human being.
But for Palestinians, communication is not just a service; it is a struggle.

For decades, the Palestinian people have faced blockades, occupation, and systemic restrictions that limit their ability to send and receive mail freely. Letters are delayed, censored, or intercepted. Families are cut off. Identity documents, educational certificates, medical records, and even love letters have been held hostage by a system designed to control movement and silence a people.

While the world celebrates the free flow of mail, Palestine remains cut off its voice obstructed.
True communication requires freedom, dignity, and justice.

On this World Post Day, we stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and reaffirm the right of every person to speak, to connect, and to be heard.
Freedom of communication must not be a privilege; it is a human right.

 From every corner of the world, may our messages continue to break the walls of silence.

Palestine Forum of New Zealand

Authorities in Aotearoa New Zealand are subjecting people in the Pacific islands of Tuvalu and Kiribati at risk of climate related harm to discriminatory migration policies that tear families apart and disregard children’s rights, Amnesty International said in a new report published today, one month before the UN Climate Change Conference COP 30.

The report, Navigating Injustice, exposes how Aotearoa New Zealand’s lottery-based migration schemes for people living in climate-affected Pacific Island countries exclude people based on their age, disability and health conditions, violating international human rights law. It also explores the stories of the Pacific People who are left with little choice but to “overstay” their visas in Aotearoa New Zealand and remain at risk of deportation.

“Pacific People are being punished twice – first by a climate crisis they did not cause, and then by discriminatory migration systems that violate their rights,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General.

Discriminatory migration system

Over recent years, as climate change and disasters deepen social inequalities and economic hardship across the Pacific, many have felt their best option is to migrate. For many Tuvaluans and I-Kiribati, Aotearoa New Zealand is the most viable destination given the countries’ close historic and cultural ties.

However, the country’s migration pathways do not take into account the effects of climate change and disasters. This includes the Pacific Access Category Resident Visa (PAC), which provides permanent residency to a limited number of nationals of Kiribati, Tuvalu, Tonga and Fiji.

The PAC scheme is only available to people between 18 and 45 years of age, who can secure a job offer and prove they have an “acceptable standard of health”. This excludes anyone with impairments that are associated with a disability, as well as anyone living with certain medical conditions perceived to represent a cost for Aotearoa New Zealand.

“For many people in Tuvalu and Kiribati, staying or leaving is not a matter of choice but survival,” Agnès Callamard said. “Pacific Island communities have shown extraordinary resilience in pursuing adaptation and mitigation strategies to enable people to remain on their lands, but the Aotearoa New Zealand government needs to do more to support them, without discrimination.”

Amnesty International met with several individuals with disabilities and their families, who were separated as a result of the visa requirements.

Alieta, a teacher and mother from Tuvalu with a visual impairment, had to remove her name from her family’s PAC application to enable her six-year-old daughter and husband to go to Aotearoa New Zealand in 2016. She has been separated from them ever since.

Talking about the impact of climate change, Alieta explained: “When the high tide came, the whole road and the house flooded… that’s why I want to move away from the sea.” She said that she agreed to her daughter going to New Zealand because she wants a better life for her, even though she finds it very hard to be apart.  

“In the beginning I was not angry at New Zealand. I kept on asking for a visa… But I am sad for my daughter. I didn’t want to be separated from my daughter. It is hard on children.”

Agnès Callamard said: “It is simply unacceptable for a high emitting country like Aotearoa New Zealand to claim it cannot take people apparently due to the cost they could generate, especially knowing that people with disabilities face increased risks during climate-induced extreme weather events.”

Deteriorating conditions in Tuvalu and Kiribati

Tuvalu and Kiribati – on average two metres above sea level – are particularly exposed to the effects of sea level rise. Coastal erosion, floods and droughts, as well as water and soil contamination and salinisation, dramatically limit the availability of drinking water and land to grow food and build homes. This is having a particularly severe impact on people’s health, particularly older people and those living with disabilities.

Aleki, who lives with her husband, her four children and her sister’s family in Funafuti, Tuvalu’s capital, told Amnesty International that obtaining clean drinking water has become a challenge: “We take buckets and go to the government building for filtered water every day for drinking.”

Soil contamination from salty water, which renders it unusable for growing most crops, is such an issue in Kiribati that the island is now nearly entirely dependent on imported food, which is often limited in variety and prohibitively expensive.

A 56-year-old I-Kiribati woman told Amnesty International: “In Kiribati you hardly find good food. You can find only rice and canned stuff. You don't have vegetables or stuff like that. We don’t grow our food at home. There are heat waves, droughts and king tides and they have destroyed all these plants.”

Risking deportation from Aotearoa New Zealand

The situation is also precarious for people who manage to reach Aotearoa New Zealand and fall into irregular status after their visas expire. With no access to dedicated protection mechanisms, those in this situation live with the constant fear of deportation, and are unable to access public services, including healthcare and education.

Under international human rights law, everyone has the right to be protected against forcible removal to a place where they would be at real risk of serious human rights violations, including due to climate change and disasters.

“Amnesty International is calling on Aotearoa New Zealand to urgently reform its immigration policies to align with a rights-based approach to climate displacement. In doing so, the government must develop and implement policies consistent with Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Indigenous Peoples’ rights,” Agnès Callamard said.

This would include offering dedicated humanitarian visas that prioritize those who are unable to meet the existing immigration requirements, to ensure the rights, including family unit, of those migrating. Dedicated protection mechanisms against deportation are also needed, including suspension of deportations for nationals of Tuvalu and Kiribati.

“Aotearoa New Zealand – and the international community at large – must act now to protect, respect and promote the rights and dignity of Pacific People in the face of the climate crisis, both at home and in their country of destination. Anything less is a betrayal of our shared responsibility to uphold human rights and ensure climate justice,” Agnès Callamard said.

“Taking action on climate change and displacement is no longer a political choice but a legal obligation. The Pacific is sounding the alarm. If the world fails to act here, it will fail everywhere.”