Currently our services include:

Drug Checking

We are one of three licensed Drug Checking providers in Aotearoa and the only service providing continuous drug checking services in Ōtepoti Dunedin, Ōtautahi Christchurch, Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington, and periodic services in Timaru and Murihiku.

In the last 15 months of operating a Drug Checking service in Ōtautahi and Ōtepoti, we have checked 2579 drug samples, 50% of those having their drugs checked are using a Drug Checking service for the first time.

Seven needle exchanges in Te Waipounamu

• Whakatu Nelson,
• Ōtautahi Christchurch and New Brighton,
• Hakatere Ashburton,
• Timaru,
• Ōtepoti
• Dunedin,
• Murihiku Invercargill.

Click here to see your nearest location.

A mobile needle exchange and health service in Te Tai Poutini

The national pharmacy needle exchange programme encompassing 200 pharmacies across Aotearoa, plus a range of alternate providers including Hauora Māori services.

Health Services

• A community health and hepatitis C service in Ōtautahi Christchurch
• A mobile peer-led hepatitis C screening and treatment service that operates across Te Waipounamu
• A weekly Nurse Practitioner service in our Ōtautahi Christchurch needle exchange
• A weekly GP service in our Ōtepoti Dunedin needle exchange
• A peer-led mobile hepatitis screening and treatment service in Te Tai Tokerau in partnership with Odyssey Auckland
• A weekly health service in collaboration with Housing First Otautahi

Hep C prevalence is estimated to be higher in Te Waipounamu due to the higher rates of injecting, longer injecting careers of people who inject drugs (PWID) and more likelihood that they have shared needles in the past.

Overall, Māori are disproportionately using methamphetamine

However, in Te Waipounamu roughly 45% use opioids, 45% use stimulants and 10% use steroids (performance and image enhancing drugs)

Māori are estimated to be over-represented in hep C. With nearly 50% of people in Corrections being Māori and a high rate of Hep C infection amongst people who have been in Corrections, we expect Māori to have higher rates of Hep C.