Political parties divided over testing drugs at NZ music festivals and events

October 5, 2019

The Green Party says the testing would save lives.

National and New Zealand First are standing firm on their stance against allowing the testing of drugs at festivals and events.

It comes as the Green Party has launched a petition to get drug testing at festivals legalised, saying it would save lives.

Major festival organisers have told 1 NEWS they're not prepared to have drug checking services at their events this summer.

Bay Dreams is a festival held in Tauranga and Nelson in January, the director says testing would be a good move.

“There's a lot of bad chemicals in different drugs that are out there and people are taking them so if there's a potential to save lives through that then yeah it's a good move,” says festival director, Toby Burrows.

“We want to have the full backing of the police, and local Government and national Government before we go down that track,” he says.

The police minister believes the move will save lives but NZ First says drug testing sends the wrong message.

1 NEWS has also spoken to the organisers of the Rhythm and Vines festival in Gisborne.

They agree pill testing would be a valuable tool, but they aren't prepared to have it on site either until it's legal.

This week the Greens launched a petition calling for a law change.

“Where the law is not morally sound and it is standing in the way of reducing risk then it is our moral duty to change that law,” says Chlöe Swarbrick of the Green Party.

“I don't endorse car crashes but if people are going to crash i want them wearing a seatbelt, I take the same approach to festival drug testing,” she says.

The Prime Minister is still hopeful they'll sort it out.

“Look obviously I think there's some more work to be done this isn't a closed issue yet,” says Jacinda Ardern.

National has changed its tune too.

At the start of the year it cautiously supported pill testing.

“That's not our position - we've had a full discussion in caucus, legalising the pill testing sends the wrong message to young people - is National divided over this? No,” says leader, Simon Bridges.

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