“An ounce of prevention is worth a tonne of cure — especially when safety, wellbeing, and livelihoods are at stake.”
Recently, Customs officers seized over $58 million worth of cocaine hidden in a shipping container at the Port of Tauranga — the largest interception of its kind in New Zealand this year. While this story makes national headlines, it’s part of a broader and growing concern: the sheer volume of illicit substances entering our communities — and, inevitably, our workplaces.
This isn’t simply a border issue. It’s a workplace health and safety issue.
The Invisible Risk to Employers
When such quantities of cocaine are discovered at our ports, it’s a sobering reminder that drugs don’t stop at the shoreline. They flow into cities, towns, and regions — and pose a risk to every industry where alertness, coordination, and responsibility matter: transportation, construction, manufacturing, logistics, forestry, and beyond.
The effects of impairment — whether due to alcohol, cannabis, methamphetamine or cocaine — are subtle but dangerous. Slower reaction times. Poor judgment. Compromised safety for the worker and their team.
The Health and Safety at Work Act is clear: every employer has a duty of care to identify and manage risks. That includes drug and alcohol use.
Helping Workplaces Take Control, Not Just React
At Advance Diagnostics, we support businesses across Aotearoa to meet this obligation proactively.
We offer a full spectrum of drug and alcohol management solutions:
- Third-party workplace testing, providing unbiased, compliant results.
- World-class on-site tools like Securetec DrugWipe — trusted by Australian Police and used for frontline screening.
- Digital testing platforms, enabling real-time reporting and electronic chain of custody — ensuring transparency across every branch or site.
- In-house training programmes, empowering your team to take ownership of testing using NZ Standards and best-practice protocols.
We equip you not only with the tools but with the knowledge — so that managing substance risk becomes part of a culture of care, not crisis response.
A Call for Leadership
Stories like the Port of Tauranga seizure are reminders that New Zealand is not immune to the global drug trade. And while Customs, Police, and the Justice system play their part, employers must remain vigilant.
This is not about surveillance. It’s about prevention. It’s about creating safer workplaces, reducing harm, and supporting people to get home safely — every single day.
If your organisation is reviewing its drug and alcohol policy, upgrading its testing capabilities, or training its health and safety leaders — we’re here to help.
As always, our commitment is to provide trusted, accurate, and timely solutions — so that your business can focus on what it does best, knowing that the wellbeing of your people is protected. To read more on this news click here.
Author CK Rahi