The debate over the danger of methamphetamine contamination was settled once and for all last week when the country’s top scientist revealed it was nothing more than hysteria. RNZ’s Benedict Collins  explains how it all unfolded

Sir Peter Gluckman’s report found New Zealand that has been in the grips of a moral meth panic – and there’s no health risk whatsoever from meth residue. There was not one single case on the planet of anyone, ever, having become sick from third-hand exposure to meth residues.

Sir Peter had advice for people considering getting a property meth tested – don’t even bother.

But for years, meth contamination was considered to be a serious risk to health.

‘Zero tolerance approach’

Housing New Zealand (HNZ) adopted a zero tolerance approach to contamination in its properties and would evict the tenants it accused of being responsible.

It began spending millions of dollars on remediating homes.

The Tenancy Tribunal would then award enormous costs against those HNZ had accused.

Rental homeowners and prospective buyers would have their homes tested by the meth-testing companies that ballooned around the country and forked out tens of thousands of dollars to remove forensic level traces of the drug.

The clean-up would leave homeowners distraught and out of pocket.

Sir Peter noted this week that New Zealand was the only country where this type of meth testing industry existed.

But the meth myth wasn’t just affecting homeowners.

Insurance companies were paying out tens of millions of dollars for remediation and Auckland Council threatened to prosecute homeowners if they didn’t immediately begin clean-ups.

Auckland Council also records meth contamination on homeowners’ Land Information Memorandum (LIM) – so future buyers are alerted to meth contamination.

HNZ started evicting more and more tenants and hundreds of homes were now empty in the middle of a housing crisis.

The housing agency’s chief operating officer, Paul Commons, publically celebrated enormous decisions against the tenants they had accused of contaminating their properties and warned “we will not be taking a backward step”.

“The rulings send a strong message to all of our tenants – Housing New Zealand will not tolerate criminal activity in its homes and we will move swiftly to end tenancies where it occurs,” Mr Commons said.

In 2015, the Social Housing Minister Paula Bennett endorsed the agency’s approach and described it was upping its efforts to detect personal use of the drug.

“We will not tolerate any meth use in HNZ properties,” Mrs Bennett said.

“HNZ are working more closely with police and focusing more on meth use as opposed to previously targeting only home-based drug manufacturing.”

But in 2016 it began to become apparent that there were major concerns with the science of methamphetamine testing in New Zealand.

Science behind the testing draws criticism

Doctor Nick Kim, a senior lecturer in environmental chemistry at Massey University, warned that HNZ’s evictions weren’t scientifically sound.

And he pointed out an investigation by TVNZ’s Fair Go had found levels of meth on bank notes higher than that at which the housing agency was evicting its tenants.

“When I look at the New Zealand guidelines they don’t refer to de-tenanting houses – they refer to reoccupying meth labs,” Dr Kim said.

HNZ was using 2010 Ministry of Health Guidelines – designed to indicate if former meth labs were safe to reoccupy – and was twisting them to say a property wasn’t safe if meth from smoking the drug had been detected.

In October 2016, RNZ revealed the Health Ministry had repeatedly told HNZ it was misusing the guidelines.

“The guidelines are very clear – that they are only for use in houses where methamphetamine has been manufactured. We have pointed out (to Housing New Zealand) and communicated that these guidelines are clearly for use in houses where meth has been manufactured,” the Health Ministry’s director, Doctor Stewart Jessamine, said.

Drug Foundation executive director Ross Bell said HNZ was causing enormous harm by deliberately misusing the standard – while the Greens said the housing agency’s conduct was deplorable.

But HNZ didn’t listen, and fought back instead.

HNZ chemical contamination manager Charlie Mitchell acknowledged the test “was not entirely suitable” but was adamant there was zero tolerance for illegal activity.

“If we can determine that the tenant is responsible for the contamination then we’re going to terminate that tenancy,” Mr Mitchell said.

At least two cases emerged where HNZ was blamed its tenants for contamination and tried to sting them with exorbitant clean-up costs.

In August, the Minister in charge of the housing agency, Bill English, acknowledged the tests were not fit for purpose but took no action.

The criticism of HNZ began to grow.

Officials express outrage over evictions

In an interview on Morning Report Labour’s Phil Twyford was outraged – calling it a scandal and saying the housing agency was staggeringly incompetent.

Former Maori Party co-leader Dame Tariana Turia said HNZ was tearing families apart.

In early 2017, HNZ’s new chief executive Andrew McKenzie appeared at parliament, defended the evictions and claimed the Health Ministry had never told his agency it was misusing the meth test.

“I think that is what was reported, but if you were actually working with the Ministry of Health, they certainly do not say that they told us we were using it wrongly,” Mr McKenzie said.

He accused the media of misreporting and refused to answer the media’s questions following the select committee – he was being paid $46,000 a month as chief executive.

A review of the standard in 2017 saw a new level developed for the use of meth, as opposed to meth labs.

In October 2017, there was a change of government.

One of Phil Twyford’s first moves as Housing Minister was to ask the Prime Minister’s chief science advisor to review the meth standards.

Mr Twyford said this week’s report has revealed HNZ wasted $100 million and evicted hundreds of tenants from their homes unnecessarily.

“Hundreds and hundreds of homes have been left vacant in the middle of a housing crisis and many hundreds of tenants, individuals and families a significant number of whom will have been evicted on the basis of faulty information,” Mr Twyford said.

Twyford’s response to findings

Today Mr Twyford issued a wide-ranging apology and ordered a comprehensive reportinto the whole “sorry chapter”.

“I made some pretty stringent comments about Housing New Zealand’s behaviour when I was in opposition – and I stand by those comments,” Mr Twyford said.

“And I want to apologise to people who have been affected in this way – I think it is appalling what happened.

“I want to apologise to the people who were badly treated by the last National government – who were evicted, who were kicked out of their homes, they were forced to pay the costs of remediation on the basis of goodness knows what evidence – all because the National government played along with the hysteria over meth contamination in housing.

“And failed to provide any kind of leadership.”

HNZ’s chief executive Andrew McKenzie has refused to do any interviews on the matter.

Chair of the housing agency Adrienne Young Cooper would not be interviewed but said she will not resign.

Tenancy Tribunal’s principal adjudicator Melissa Poole has refused to be interviewed and will not answer questions about the Tribunal’s misuse of meth lab guidelines to award enormous costs against tenants. 

This post originally appeared at RNZ

Pallas Hupé Cotter’s new year’s resolution for 2018 was a big one: going alcohol-free for an entire year. As she approaches the halfway point she shares what she’s learned so far.

At midnight on December 31st 2017, while watching fireworks from a hilltop on the outskirts of Wellington, I took one last sip of bubbles out of my plastic travel cup and declared that I was going alcohol-free. Not forever – just for 2018.

When I say this out loud, people often gasp. And then they ask, “Why?”.

One reason I decided that this year was the year is that in 2019 I’m moving to Central Otago. My husband and I are building a home within stumbling distance of one of the region’s many wineries. Before we make the move, I want to shift something else too: a habit. I want to go back to the days when enjoying a glass of wine was something special – not just a nightly routine I adopted after moving to New Zealand from the US.

The plan was to write about my experience at the end of the year, but I only made it to June. No, I haven’t had a drink, but the journey’s been so fascinating and challenging – in ways I didn’t expect – that I wanted to start writing now.

I’ll also admit that “going public” early will definitely help keep me accountable.

I’ve obviously shared this resolution with a few people before writing about it, and most did the same double-take, “The whole year?! Are you sure?”. Someone asked me, “Why start January 1, why not wait until summer’s over?”, which made me pause, but didn’t offer as clean a break as I wanted.

That was followed by a variety of wildly different responses, ranging from “It’s easy!” to “It’s sooo hard” and “You’ll never go back” as well as “You won’t last the year!”.

That last one was from a family member, which made me feel a little uneasy.

Recently on The Spinoff Nadine Hura wrote about her choice to give up alcohol, leaving the  “sisterhood” of mums who have leaned in – for support from our wine bottles. Hura’s no longer turning to a glass or two or three to help her feel “as if” she was coping, after realising that she’d been struggling physically and emotionally. Tired of the constant negotiation in her brain about when and how many she could afford to have. It’s a voice I’ve heard too – and don’t want to hear anymore.

But let me say this isn’t easy.

Ritual

One of the things I missed most, from the start, was my ritual.

Just like morning doesn’t feel right without a cup o’joe, at the end of a long day I can no longer look forward to the reward of a glass of vino. (Yes, I recognise the cliches, as well as the irony, but I can’t even think about giving up caffeine simultaneously.)

And at either end of the day, the ritual of making a cuppa just doesn’t create the warm fuzzy for me that it does for most anyone raised in the UK or as a Kiwi.

There’s also the social ritual and, conversely, the antisocial side of tee-totalling.

On a date night with my husband, a holiday or at any celebration, I feel like I’m missing something without a stemmed glass in my hand. I’ve also noticed social invitations starting to dwindle. Comparing my experience with friends who’ve made similar choices, they confirm that’s normal. They miss the “wine-o’clock” excitement and have also warned that friendships can dry up, which can leave you feeling rejected.

I’ve run into something else I didn’t expect and find surprisingly uncomfortable: having to refuse hospitality. I didn’t even think about disappointing hosts who want to share their cellar selections. A couple recently plunked a glass of their finest in front of me after our meal, brightly declaring it a “nightcap!”, almost as if issuing a challenge. I felt guilty about the pleasure I was denying them when I stuttered, shrugged my shoulders and apologised. But I said “No thank you”, again.

Judgement

Some of the social reaction to not drinking can be blamed on one loaded little word: judgement.

If you say you’re not drinking, some hear it as a judgement of them. That leaves them stammering excuses, or saying they’ve been meaning to cut back too, even apologising or admitting they feel guilty about drinking – or how often they do.

I’ve discussed this phenomenon with vegans and vegetarians, who’ve also experienced the same kind of reaction. To be fair, they seem to have a pretty strong belief in a “cause”, so maybe that reaction can be expected. But with alcohol, for most social (not addicted) drinkers, and about a century after the Temperance movements, it’s a lifestyle choice that only affects the individual. When I hear people’s “shoulds” I usually say, “I wish I could!”, but right now it just isn’t right for me.

Societal Anxiety

It’s also been harder to ignore something that’s been disturbing me for a while – something Nadine Hura also mentioned: how drinking is about “our pain as much as our pleasure”. I didn’t like it when I would hear myself sigh, “I could use a drink”, instead of enjoy one.

It’s becoming ever more clear how much we try to zone out in our society: with alcohol, or drugs, or food, or screen time or digital devices. I’m as guilty as the next person of not wanting to face up to difficult emotions or of sometimes feeling trapped and craving ways to escape. I’ve had some marathon box-set binges.

But as a society, it looks like learning how to be happier by being more present is a pressing challenge, be that through mindfulness or giving up things like drinking.

Health

“Are you feeling better?” is one of the most frequent questions I get.

And I asked the same question of a friend who cut way back on drinking long before my decision. She said, “I don’t necessarily feel better, just not worse.”

She recommended that I don’t try to deny myself much else while I tackle alcohol. I’ve already taken that to extremes. For years I’ve called chocolate my “mood-altering substance of choice” and admit that in these past few months I’ve reached for it way too often. Of course sugar’s now the new taboo, so that’s starting to trigger a new panic: “Do I have to give up my chocolate too? What’s left that I can enjoy?”. If you’re thinking “moderation” is an option, well, I will try. But my fear is if can’t stop myself at one square of chocolate, what makes me think I can enjoy just one drink now and then?

These are questions I can’t yet answer.

I can say that even though I really wasn’t a big drinker, I am suffering fewer fuzzy mornings. So yes, I guess I do feel better and would like it to stay that way. Remembering that comes in handy whenever I feel tempted – and I’ve definitely had moments.

I’ve even dreamed about falling off the wagon! I either forget my resolution and accept a drink or accidentally pull the wrong bottle out of the fridge, twist it open and swig before I realise what’s happened.

Kombucha

It actually is easy to confuse a bottle of beer with a bottle of kombucha, which is quickly becoming my new go-to. The probiotic fizzy drink feels a little bit special, and allows me to pretend that I’m celebrating and socialising, just like everyone else.

Yes, technically it’s fermented and therefore has the tiniest bit of alcohol – but think of it like drinking vinegar. It would take too much to stomach to even get you buzzed.

I’ve started little parallel social rituals like pouring kombucha into a champagne glass, and hosting other tee-totalling friends who’ve starting producing their own concoctions. I even organised a dinner party for a kombucha “tasting” and “pairing”.

*

My appreciation of wine didn’t start in New Zealand, but in Northern California. When we moved to an area that was just a half hour drive from Napa Valley, we were warned we’d become wine lovers by osmosis. Every home our real estate agents showed us had its very own wine closet. As it turned out, our realtors  were also part-time vintners, who hosted neighborhood bottling parties to get their product to market. We enjoyed their wine only on special occasions. That said, when I lived there, I presented the news on TV at night, so there was no opportunity to have a “glass at the end of the day”. That started here, as a luxury, and then devolved into a routine.

I recently fielded questions from of a group of friends fascinated by my decision. They started talking about the latest statistics on how much alcohol takes a toll on your health. Many admitted to drinking more than was recommended, but debated whether it was worth the sacrifice to cut back.

To be clear, it has felt like a sacrifice, but it doesn’t have to. I’m now trying to focus instead on feeling empowered. Making a conscious choice to reframe and make reaching for a glass of wine not an unconscious reflex, but something special again.

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