Pill testing at New Zealand’s festivals will be legal this summer. The government announced this week they are preparing to rush legislation through parliament. 

Over the last few years, parliament has seen much discussion on the implementation of drug testing at New Zealand music festivals, especially after fake pills containing pesticide and paint were seized at the Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne and the multiple drug related deaths at similar events in Australia.

Drug testing has existed in a legal unknown for years. To ensure volunteers didn’t go to jail, groups have so far required festivalgoers to learn how to load their own drugs into a spectrometer for testing. It’s been a slow and cumbersome process. The testing sites themselves have also been low-key, their existence largely spread through word of mouth. The law will allow trained volunteers to handle the testing and advertise their existence, making the process more efficient.

This law change provides drug testing services with narrow and time-limited protection this summer against prosecution for short-term possession of illegal drugs while they test them. In the new year. the law changes will be developed and regulations around them will be consulted so that by December 2021. a full legal system will be in place.

Over the summer, numerous music festivals are held in our area, and this fast-tracked legislation means that we may see these services available here.