1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,880 Speaker 1: Another government having another crack at the meth problem. There'll 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: be an ad campaign, joint ops between Customs Defense, the GCSB, 3 00:00:07,400 --> 00:00:11,040 Speaker 1: tougher police powers, border security. Meth use, as you know, 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,080 Speaker 1: has doubled last year, heading nearly fifteen hundred kilos. Nicole McKees, 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: the Associate Minister of Justice with me this morning, Minister, 6 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: Good morning. 7 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 2: Good morning Ryan. 8 00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:24,160 Speaker 1: How much like do you have a number? What impact 9 00:00:24,239 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: will this have on the supply of meth in New Zealand? 10 00:00:27,320 --> 00:00:30,400 Speaker 1: Will we have ten thousand fewer addicts as a result 11 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:32,599 Speaker 1: of the program you've announced, do we know? 12 00:00:32,840 --> 00:00:36,080 Speaker 2: Well, that's the thing, Ryan, is that we've known for 13 00:00:36,120 --> 00:00:38,240 Speaker 2: the last twenty years that we've got a meth and 14 00:00:38,280 --> 00:00:42,320 Speaker 2: phetamine problem in New Zealand, but no one's actually been 15 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:44,880 Speaker 2: able to coordinate to do anything about it. So there's 16 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 2: been no stats around whether or not we are having 17 00:00:48,600 --> 00:00:51,720 Speaker 2: any any effect in the right areas, and it would 18 00:00:51,720 --> 00:00:53,800 Speaker 2: seem that we're not when we see that there's a 19 00:00:53,840 --> 00:00:56,760 Speaker 2: doubling in the consumption over the last year, when we 20 00:00:56,800 --> 00:00:59,240 Speaker 2: see that there's a two hundred and sixty six percent 21 00:00:59,320 --> 00:01:02,639 Speaker 2: increase in at the border. So what we can do 22 00:01:03,120 --> 00:01:05,640 Speaker 2: is actually implement some of these ideas. So we've got 23 00:01:05,760 --> 00:01:09,560 Speaker 2: whole justice sector, Ministers of come in, looked at our portfolios. 24 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:11,560 Speaker 2: What can we do. I can smash it in the 25 00:01:11,760 --> 00:01:16,560 Speaker 2: organized crime criminal proceeds area, for example, can we funnel 26 00:01:16,840 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 2: that money back into the community, And then how do 27 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:22,360 Speaker 2: we assess it? What is it that we're actually going 28 00:01:22,400 --> 00:01:24,480 Speaker 2: to be looking for? And I guess some of the 29 00:01:24,560 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 2: areas that we already know about. So we have this 30 00:01:27,480 --> 00:01:33,240 Speaker 2: massive increase in violence, for example. So this fits very nicely, 31 00:01:33,400 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 2: this plan of what we're doing into the government's target 32 00:01:36,520 --> 00:01:40,120 Speaker 2: four of twenty thousand fewer victims by the end of 33 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,840 Speaker 2: twenty twenty nine. So we look at the victims and 34 00:01:43,880 --> 00:01:46,280 Speaker 2: we know that there is a portion of people on 35 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 2: meth the'refore times likely to commit violence. We know that 36 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 2: those that are on meth are also three points six 37 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,440 Speaker 2: times more likely to be victims, so we can measure 38 00:01:57,480 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 2: it if we see that coming down. 39 00:01:59,160 --> 00:02:02,040 Speaker 1: I get all that, but as you have said, we 40 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:06,640 Speaker 1: know that the problem's gotten way worse despite everything we 41 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: have been doing. So yeah, it is. And how radically 42 00:02:10,680 --> 00:02:11,480 Speaker 1: different is this? 43 00:02:12,520 --> 00:02:15,880 Speaker 2: Well, I think the coordinated approach, not just going off 44 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:18,480 Speaker 2: after them at the border, not just me going after 45 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,639 Speaker 2: their funds of misery and giving it back to the community, 46 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 2: but also looking at how we can support the community. 47 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 2: So as an example, eleven million dollars is going into 48 00:02:28,400 --> 00:02:32,240 Speaker 2: the Resilience to Organize Crime and Communities, a police initiative 49 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:36,840 Speaker 2: that helps the communities use their own community networks to 50 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,560 Speaker 2: support them to get off mess stay off mess. We've 51 00:02:40,560 --> 00:02:41,320 Speaker 2: also got. 52 00:02:41,280 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: What's eleven million? 53 00:02:42,400 --> 00:02:45,560 Speaker 2: Is it? So it's eleven eleven million dollars. 54 00:02:45,840 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: The shortage of rehab beds in this country is a 55 00:02:48,320 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: massive problem. Is eleven million dollars going to fix it? 56 00:02:52,320 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 2: Well, eleven million dollars is going into the rock Work 57 00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 2: program to make sure that we can utilize what we 58 00:02:58,960 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 2: have in our community. This is pulling everything together from 59 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 2: all angles instead of just attacking one. So that eleven 60 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,960 Speaker 2: million dollars is not over four years until the end 61 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:12,359 Speaker 2: of December twenty twenty six, helps us pull everything up, 62 00:03:12,720 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 2: identify where these community lead projects are. Twenty three million 63 00:03:16,639 --> 00:03:19,760 Speaker 2: dollars going into a police AML team working with our 64 00:03:19,800 --> 00:03:24,800 Speaker 2: international partners. Thirty million dollars also going into secondary school 65 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:28,520 Speaker 2: based teams. I mean there's money going into all sorts 66 00:03:28,520 --> 00:03:31,920 Speaker 2: of areas so we can tackle it from we. 67 00:03:31,840 --> 00:03:35,760 Speaker 1: Will see it, mister, we will see whether that bears fruit. 68 00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:38,720 Speaker 1: Appreciate your time this morning, Nicole McKee, who's the Associate 69 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:42,600 Speaker 1: Justice Minister. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge. 70 00:03:42,680 --> 00:03:46,280 Speaker 1: Listen live to News Talks it Be from five am weekdays, 71 00:03:46,400 --> 00:03:48,440 Speaker 1: or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.