Soundsplash Photo: Supplied / Soundsplash
Several music festivals will not offer drug testing this summer, according to New Zealand's main drug checking agency for events.
It has been three years since New Zealand first started allowing drug testing organisations to work legally at festivals.
KnowYourStuffNZ general manager Casey Spearin said seven upcoming festivals - which they had previously attended - had declined their services.
Another five festivals that initially approached the agency - including Bay Dreams and Splore - had cancelled their 2025 events.
Spearin said festivals that ditched drug checking were struggling with ticket sales.
"A lot of festivals are being forced to make tough calls on their budget priorities in order to stay afloat this year.
"Most events see drug checking as a health and safety priority and build it into their fixed costs to run an event, others choose not to prioritise it."
Despite drug checking being legal many festivals have missed out because the organisations running it do not have enough kit and capacity. Photo: Know Your Stuff / supplied
Spearin said they charged festivals a fee of 75c per attendee.
But she said the service was still in high demand and would be at AUM, Northern Bass, and Twisted Frequency this New Year.
Between January and March, the agency would be attending 10 festivals, with a further 11 bookings pending.
The service was also offering clinics in Mount Maunganui and in Wanaka and Queenstown before New Year's Eve in conjunction with Rhythm and Alps due to limited spectrometers.
The NZ Drug Foundation was covering drug checking at Gisborne's Rhythm and Vines.
A Rhythm and Vines spokesperson said they supported festival-goers being better-informed about substances that may be in circulation.
"While we take every precaution and measure to prevent illegal substances entering into R&V, they can sometimes slip through the cracks, and the safety of our attendees is our number one priority."
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
