Public Address | Cafe | Hard News: We are, at last, navigating out of the "meth contamination" debacle

Rob Stowell

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 13:49:30 +1200

From Miles Stratford, no less. It would be interesting to know how much he’s made personally from meth-testing.

Simon Chamberlain

Tue, 03 Jul 2018 11:30:17 +1200

Russell, as a heads-up the industry is sending OIAs for discussions by Ministers and agencies with you and Ross Bell (e.g. https://fyi.org.nz/request/8197-expert-opinion-on-methamphetamine#incoming-26287 and https://fyi.org.nz/request/8192-communications-regarding-methamphetamine#outgoing-14647)

Rob Stowell

Sat, 23 Jun 2018 11:47:13 +1200

Spinoff doing more good work. AA put out a striking press release and the msm pick it up and run with the headline. Another moral panic based on misapplied "studies" and unverified assumptions? https://thespinoff.co.nz/media/21-06-2018/are-drug-drivers-really-killing-us-by-the-droves/

izogi

Wed, 13 Jun 2018 08:28:26 +1200

If you go back a generation or so, the officials provided the advice and the Ministers took the heat. The change since the turn of the millennium is palpable – officials are part of the political process, not advisors to it.

Until I read this this morning, I hadn't realised…

linger

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 11:42:14 +1200

Note the potential for abuse involved in connecting these dots:
early assertive social interventions based on statistical data -->
“convicted” on a balance of probabilities

Russell Brown

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 11:11:06 +1200

An important story by RNZ's Kate Newton on the miserable standard of evidence the Tenancy Tribunal has accepted in “meth contamination” cases. People were effectively “convicted” on a balance of probabilities.

Neil

Tue, 12 Jun 2018 09:55:50 +1200

govts are making it more complex?Is that what your saying?

No, rather that co-ordinating between agencies is difficult.

Social welfare has gone from simply paying benefits to, if Ian Lambie’s advice is heeded, early assertive social interventions based on statistical data. It’s quite a shift.

andin

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 17:58:37 +1200

multi-agency

govts are making it more complex?Is that what your saying?

prelude to further state intervention.

Why intervention?
To make sure they are worthy of a house?
I know some think they have the right to vet everything anyone else does especially if they rely on the state for anything.…

Neil

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 17:17:46 +1200

Just maybe more variables not adding much to the complexity and surely able enough to be coped with.

In acute health settings the pattern is of increasing numbers of complex cases within an increasingly complex multi-agency setting.

With state housing the housing is now only a prelude to further state…

andin

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 13:47:05 +1200

our social welfare institutions are being tasked with more complex situations at the same time institutions are becoming more risk averse –

Just maybe more variables not adding much to the complexity and surely able enough to be coped with. Risk aversion probably played a greater part, what with accountants…

Neil

Mon, 11 Jun 2018 13:08:52 +1200

It’s been more a case of the mob mentality generating rational bias problems, than just people in positions of privilege and power…

More broadly our social welfare institutions are being tasked with more complex situations at the same time institutions are becoming more risk averse – for good reason, the…

izogi

Sun, 10 Jun 2018 23:52:06 +1200

MediaWatch coverage: https://www.radionz.co.nz/national/programmes/mediawatch/audio/2018648254/bringing-the-big-meth-myth-mess-to-light

Prudence

Mon, 04 Jun 2018 18:30:55 +1200

I wonder where Mike Sabin fits into this picture?

Where ever, I would suggest it a nice snug fit

Sacha

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 23:15:24 +1200

There is record of MoH repeatedly advising HNZ of exactly that. Some HNZ managers, their then-CEO and Board are subsequently responsible for ignoring them. The then-Chair is still in place and refusing to resign.

For some reason the current Minister believes an investigation conducted by HNZ will fairly examine that…

Lucy Telfar Barnard

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 13:29:53 +1200

If there were any recourse – any I’m not convinced there would be – I would expect it to be against the Ministry of Health, and/or Standards NZ; the former for not acting to dispel the misconception that the lab decontamination target was a threshold to trigger smoke residue "decontamination";…

Kumara Republic

Sun, 03 Jun 2018 00:41:11 +1200

Is there any legal recourse, such as a class-action lawsuit, against the former Ministers and meth test companies involved?

izogi

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 15:34:32 +1200

Vitamin K helps with brodifacoum poisoning, which is what they were imagining they'd been exposed to whilst protesting next to a brodi drop. ("I feel sick. It must be the brodifacoum over there which I'm protesting against!!!!", and all that.) Vets will usually give vitamin K to a dog if…

Joe Wylie

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 15:21:49 +1200

I've never heard him called that before...
"Oh yes and I loved Reepicheep – as I knew I would."

nzlemming

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 14:33:28 +1200

Russell namechecked by Willie Jackson on the AM show

Russell Brown

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 14:31:58 +1200

A really good, detailed story on the whole shitshow by Henry Cooke.

He leads with the story of an 87 year-old woman who was told by Housing NZ she not only had to leave the home she'd lived in for 60 years, but that she had to leave her possessions…

nzlemming

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 13:45:41 +1200

they provide Reepicheep – and you too, it would seem – with hours of online fun.

Thank the gods I had swallowed my mouthful of coffee before I clicked the link or my screen would have worn it. I've never heard him called that before, but it's so fitting.

Paul Campbell

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 12:20:54 +1200

Vitamin K helps with sunburn?

izogi

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 11:21:31 +1200

It is marvel of the type, full of the simple rejection of inconvenient science through the creation from thin air of nebulous conspiracy theories.

There's a whole sub-culture of science denial and conspiracy nutters in NZ if you look in the right places. Sometimes it's politically charged, but it doesn't…

simon g

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 11:13:43 +1200

It's not even necessary to go to Kiwiblog (and I'd rather not), the wisdom of Stuff comments will serve.

Respect for evidence has lasted about 24 hours before the myths and spin return.

The phrase "err on the side of caution" is a recurring line – so reasonable, so responsible,…

Neil

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 11:01:53 +1200

I can understand why Twyford wants to make life difficult for National but at present he’s making that a priority over compensating those who have suffered an injustice.

It’s all too reminiscent of his attitude to reform of body Corp laws – he’s dragging his heels because Nikki Kaye has…

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 09:14:24 +1200

That would given them a nice easy way to get people out without the bad PR ala Niki Rauti and not honour that promise.
On that note – go see Dieneke Jansens 90 DAYS + installation at Te Tuhi

Ian Dalziel

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 09:08:19 +1200

I'm surprised that some enterprising persons haven't set up a business to literally launder banknotes.
I've got these dollars from Nigeria that just need ink removed...

Joe Wylie

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 09:00:40 +1200

I thoroughly recommend reading the comments section on the Kiwiblog post on this matter.
Kiwiblog is like having a webcam in a tankful of giant hissing cockroaches. While their antics have little effect on the course of events, they provide Reepicheep – and you too, it would seem – with…

Sacha

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 08:51:36 +1200

RNZ's Benedict Collins has a concise update (4 mins).

Tom Semmens

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 08:24:50 +1200

If you want to see where the alternative reality of Trumpland comes from, I thoroughly recommend reading the comments section on the Kiwiblog post on this matter. Forget about what those retards are actually saying and focus on the cognitive processes at work.

It is marvel of the type, full…

Neil

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 00:01:57 +1200

In order to get an insurance payout for decontamination insurance companies required property owners to file a statement with the police of p use citing the tenant.

nzlemming

Thu, 31 May 2018 22:16:24 +1200

At the risk of sounding stupid because I haven't thought this through, maybe there's merit in some kind of independent parliamentary commissioner role who's legislatively charged with investigating, reporting on and potentially enforcing the independence of the public service? (Maybe comparable with other independent roles like the Parliamentary Commissioner for…

nzlemming

Thu, 31 May 2018 22:11:15 +1200

Probably, but I wonder if there's a better way to reinforce the separation of Ministers from the public service, before it comes to resigning, than just tell Ministers they have to resign all the time.

We used to have this until Lange's government passed the State Sector Act 1987, which…

nzlemming

Thu, 31 May 2018 21:51:54 +1200

But in general the reality is likely much more mundane than politicians taking kickbacks. There is, as already noted in this thread, a general risk-averseness in the public sector – and appearing to stand up for druggies is generally fairly risky when your political masters are busy stigmatising them.

*coff*…

Moz

Thu, 31 May 2018 18:05:37 +1200

There's a whole bunch of law about parliament being paramount and courts not getting involved if possible that makes some of this stuff quite tricky to enforce. By and large it's been found useful to restrict the legal system to preying only on elected members who are actual (accused) criminals…

izogi

Thu, 31 May 2018 17:41:58 +1200

Moz

Thu, 31 May 2018 15:43:43 +1200

But the point of elected representatives is that it's explicitly a popularity contest. The alternative is a gerrymandering contest or a European-style presidential appointment process that we can see working ever so well even as we discuss it.

andin

Thu, 31 May 2018 14:37:52 +1200

. The mechanism for generating the short-list is a popularity contest
thats a good argument for taking the human element out of the equation

izogi

Thu, 31 May 2018 12:58:25 +1200

If we want the decisions in our country to be evidence based, then it’s incumbent on us to force Ministers to resign over bad decisions, not Chief Executives.

Probably, but I wonder if there's a better way to reinforce the separation of Ministers from the public service, before it comes…

Russell Brown

Thu, 31 May 2018 12:33:03 +1200

Tweeted this earlier, so should also include it here:

People have understandably been talking about compensation and legal actions as a consequence of the “meth contamination” shambles. I think there are some hurdles there.

Right or wrong, Housing NZ had a “zero-tolerance for illicit drug use” policy in place. (In…

Michael Meyers

Thu, 31 May 2018 11:36:20 +1200

https://beehive.govt.nz/release/meth-users-stopping-vulnerable-getting-state-homes

In which Paula Bennett says: “We will not tolerate any meth use in HNZ properties,”

Sounds like more than just taking advice and makes a lie of the claims that they couldn’t influence HNZ. Deflect and deny! Awful.

Neil

Thu, 31 May 2018 11:31:29 +1200

In my experience, public servants are trained to be risk averse above all else.

Risk assessment has often come to mean – the institution avoiding the consequences of making mistakes rather than avoiding making mistakes. The time spent proving compliance can be time not spent being compliant.

Landlords were being…

Worik Stanton

Thu, 31 May 2018 09:29:48 +1200

I wonder where Mike Sabin fits into this picture?

linger

Thu, 31 May 2018 06:43:14 +1200

the Minister was “just taking advice”equates to, just taking the advice she wanted to hear,
and ignoring all evidence to the contrary.

Kumara Republic

Thu, 31 May 2018 02:17:01 +1200

Paula Bennet's just repeated to John Campbell (about 5.10pm'ish) that she was following official advice.

Also (Russell), John's just name-dropped you in his response.

It's obvious from that Checkpoint interview that Bennett had the denial dial cranked up to 11.

Clarke

Wed, 30 May 2018 19:04:41 +1200

Wouldn’t the agency’s Chief Executive have a strong effect on setting the agency’s tone, though? If so and if agencies are getting it wrong, is it not the CE’s or the SSC which employs them who are a big part of the problem rather than public servants generally?

There has…

izogi

Wed, 30 May 2018 17:12:38 +1200

What Paula Bennett said was not conveying any official advice.

Paula Bennet's just repeated to John Campbell (about 5.10pm'ish) that she was following official advice.

Also (Russell), John's just name-dropped you in his response.

Ross Bell

Wed, 30 May 2018 15:57:29 +1200

HNZ were without a CEO at a critical time. Glen Sowry left in March 2016, and Andrew McKenzie didn't start until Sept 2016. Much of the bad behaviour happened prior to McKenzie. And actually very soon after starting, Mckenzie ended their practice of meth evictions (and is now doing some…

izogi

Wed, 30 May 2018 15:37:02 +1200

In my experience, public servants are trained to be risk averse above all else.

Wouldn't the agency's Chief Executive have a strong effect on setting the agency's tone, though? If so and if agencies are getting it wrong, is it not the CE's or the SSC which employs them who…

Ross Bell

Wed, 30 May 2018 15:35:29 +1200

Opinion: Meth myth was allowed to go on for too long

Bart Janssen

Wed, 30 May 2018 15:29:57 +1200

But in general the reality is likely much more mundane

To some extent I agree. We don't do envelopes stuffed with $100 bills. But we do have a culture of you scratch my back and I'll let you know when a really good investment property come up on the listings…

Ross Bell

Wed, 30 May 2018 15:05:09 +1200

https://beehive.govt.nz/release/meth-users-stopping-vulnerable-getting-state-homes

Russell Brown

Wed, 30 May 2018 14:56:48 +1200

I was watching the interview with Judith Collins from Breakfast this morning (from this article) where she is saying that the Minister couldn’t possibly question the HNZ experts and this is exactly what I was thinking.

Most of what she’s saying there is bullshit. What Paula Bennett said was not…

Michael Meyers

Wed, 30 May 2018 14:39:46 +1200

I think the answer is much more likely to be in the entrenched risk aversion of the Wellington bureaucracy rather than in any nefarious scheme.

I was watching the interview with Judith Collins from Breakfast this morning (from this article) where she is saying that the Minister couldn't possibly question…

Russell Brown

Wed, 30 May 2018 14:10:49 +1200

Banks and mortgage companies who almost certainly were getting kickbacks, real estate agents (why anyone believes anything a real estate agent says is beyond me), testing companies, remediation companies and so on. People who knew damn well they were selling snake oil but took money from people anyway. And yes…

Ross Bell

Wed, 30 May 2018 14:01:43 +1200

From Gluckman's report:

"Miles Stratford of Methsolutions provided a perspective from the methamphetamine testing industry and as a member of the Standards Committee."

He is also a member of the Auckland Regional Methampehtamine Working Group, which was thanked by Prof Gluckman.

Neil

Wed, 30 May 2018 13:52:08 +1200

I think the answer is much more likely to be in the entrenched risk aversion of the Wellington bureaucracy rather than in any nefarious scheme.

….

So the mis-application of the standard and the draconian results that followed would have been regarded as the lowest-risk option …

I think there’s…

Russell Brown

Wed, 30 May 2018 13:32:08 +1200

Here’s what Miles Stratford is sending out on the MethSolutions mailing list.

Note the attempt to reframe this as just being a part of looking after your investment, getting a better class of tenant etc. And following the CSA's recommendations on testing thresholds "will take the spotlight off meth users…

Bart Janssen

Wed, 30 May 2018 12:31:43 +1200

Two parts of this piss me off the most the first, and obvious one given my job, is the way scientific data was simply ignored for so long by the media. It was boring to report the actual science and much more exciting to report the drama however false it…

izogi

Wed, 30 May 2018 11:40:40 +1200

Stratford said more research should be done and jumping to conclusions based on the current science was "reckless".

Muuuust ... get .... government ... to ... keeeep ... loooking ....until .. it .... finds ... evidence ..... to ... vaaaalidaate .... industry.....!

Mikaere Curtis

Wed, 30 May 2018 11:27:38 +1200

This reminded me of John Key's tactic of talking about how great things are outside the measurement period. I guess the hope is that people will hear "overseas research" and agree with Stratford that Sir Peter Gluckman got it wrong somehow.

My overall impression was of a shady operator who…

John Farrell

Wed, 30 May 2018 11:25:58 +1200

It sounds like the anti climate change brigade.

Sacha

Wed, 30 May 2018 11:22:52 +1200

"What we've got is a whole bunch of scientists who can't agree"

Sounds remarkably like the cynical tosh we heard from a former PM, also coached by Australian PR merchants.

Ross Bell

Wed, 30 May 2018 10:58:01 +1200

From the Meth Solutions Facebook page:

To the person who phoned our office and suggested to a hard working staff member that they should go and look for another job, it is the behaviour of people that choose to use meth that presents risk to hard working Kiwis who invest…

Ross Bell

Wed, 30 May 2018 10:50:29 +1200

This from Stuff sheds some light:

Miles Stratford, director of meth testing company MethSolutions, said the report presented no new evidence and ignored people who had come forward wanting to tell Gluckman about their issues with meth contamination.

"You're never going to find evidence if you don't go…

Ray Gilbert

Wed, 30 May 2018 10:29:14 +1200

I suspect the literature they are basing their claims on will be full of self references and cirucular citations – like anti-vax and anti-fluoridation.

Joe Wylie

Wed, 30 May 2018 10:14:10 +1200

Without clearly citing it he's just spouting vacuous rubbish.

"The mark of Satan is upon them..."
https://youtu.be/t5V_JCO9IRg

izogi

Wed, 30 May 2018 10:09:18 +1200

Stratford was talking in that interview, of overseas research, but he didn't offer to provide it to RNZ. I wonder why not?

That occurred to me, too. Without clearly citing it he's just spouting vacuous rubbish. I was disappointed that Espiner didn't press him into specifying what this magical international…

Ray Gilbert

Wed, 30 May 2018 09:58:04 +1200

I caught the RNZ interview this morning and just about spat out my breakfast. The complete BS regarding the research they were alluding to being the absolute truth while the oither research that Peter Gluckman and his team had waded through being just plain wrong was palpable. It got even…

John Farrell

Wed, 30 May 2018 09:52:39 +1200

Stratford was talking in that interview, of overseas research, but he didn't offer to provide it to RNZ. I wonder why not?

Joe Wylie

Wed, 30 May 2018 09:51:21 +1200

I wonder if there’ll be a response from the insurance companies.
There's been this.

Russell Brown

Wed, 30 May 2018 09:49:18 +1200

Russell’s work on this has been a big part of it – some of gluckman’s comments on tv3 tonight seemed almost word for word what I read in Russell’s piece 2 years ago.

You can imagine how I felt reading the report. I had a bit of an emotional moment,…

Neil

Wed, 30 May 2018 09:44:05 +1200

The meth decontamination industry is dead – it was an expensive nightmare for landlords. I wonder if there’ll be a response from the insurance companies.

Joe Wylie

Wed, 30 May 2018 09:28:15 +1200

I haven't been following this story deeply, but his arguments just sounded ridiculous, alleging cherry-picked research and conflating moral issues (eg. character of meth users versus "hard-working New Zealanders") with science.

Funny how those who complain the loudest about "virtue signaling" aren't at all shy about proclaiming the virtues of…

izogi

Wed, 30 May 2018 09:05:19 +1200

I feel immense comfort today that people like Miles Stratford won’t have a business for much longer.

Guyon Espiner had him on Morning Report this morning. I haven't been following this story deeply, but his arguments just sounded ridiculous, alleging cherry-picked research and conflating moral issues (eg. character of meth…

Neil

Wed, 30 May 2018 07:39:17 +1200

This is just one example of scams and dysfunction making the housing situation worse. And it had nothing to do with foreigners.

The government should give serous consideration to an inquiery into the whole of the building industry.

simon g

Wed, 30 May 2018 03:17:24 +1200

It's worth remembering that Gluckman was appointed by John Key to be the PM's science adviser, a post Key himself created soon after taking office ...

"This appointment delivers on the Government's goal of including science at the heart of our decision-making. ... This role is one of vital importance…

James Littlewood*

Wed, 30 May 2018 00:09:39 +1200

Bloody good work, Russell.

Shaun Scott

Tue, 29 May 2018 23:18:34 +1200

Personally, I think every Public Address reader should chip in so we can buy Sir Peter Gluckman this t-shirt.

Even better, chip in and become a supporter of this site (at the top of the homepage). This is such a huge, positive and impactful outcome for a lot of people…

Russell Brown

Tue, 29 May 2018 22:56:55 +1200

The article (in a blog for a drug-rehab centre) tell us how bad Ritalin really is.

Lol, remind me not to get advice from your friend: meth isn't "used in Ritalin", they're completely different chemicals which produce somewhat similar effects through quite different actions.

Russell Brown

Tue, 29 May 2018 22:52:05 +1200

I think the answer is much more likely to be in the entrenched risk aversion of the Wellington bureaucracy rather than in any nefarious scheme.

Agreed. I think it shows up the flaws in business-as-usual rather than any real conspiracy.

Simon Lyall

Tue, 29 May 2018 21:36:05 +1200

Just had a quick check of the response on Facebook responses from a friend who works at one of the Math-testing companies.

1. One of the people involved, Dr. Nick Kim loves to bring up the fact that is used in drugs such as Ritalin....so it "must" be safe....
I…

BenWilson

Tue, 29 May 2018 20:31:13 +1200

My god, imagine how many times that bloody scenario has played out in the last few years.

Having bought a home-and-income in the last few years I can say it played out like that for me too. The building inspection required by the bank tried hard to upsell me to…

Clarke

Tue, 29 May 2018 20:26:46 +1200

One might speculate that the investigation will find cronyism and corruption flourished in an MBIE gutted by funding cuts and encouraged to outsource it’s advice and guidelines to those friendly to the minister and aligned with the (then) governments philosophy, but that would just be idle speculation on my part,…

Rob Stowell

Tue, 29 May 2018 20:17:03 +1200

Yay. Great work – and thank goodness. Moral panics have an underlying nastiness, but this was fueled by greed too. BS testing – and 'cleansing' have become 'standard' in many tenancy arrangements now. Hopefully that disappears overnight.

Ross Bell

Tue, 29 May 2018 19:47:16 +1200

I'm giving a talk in Australia later in June to my drug policy colleagues. I wonder what I should talk about :)

Tom Semmens

Tue, 29 May 2018 17:23:22 +1200

I feel immense comfort today that people like Miles Stratford won’t have a business for much longer.

Cynical and despicable.

I don’t think I’ve seen such a mild mannered man as yourself wish financial ruin on anyone. These guys must be right bastards.

BTW, I hear on RNZ that the…

Clarke

Tue, 29 May 2018 17:09:20 +1200

Personally, I think every Public Address reader should chip in so we can buy Sir Peter Gluckman this t-shirt.

Russell Brown

Tue, 29 May 2018 16:43:28 +1200

Looks like the local meth-testing industry has hired Australian firm Clout PR to try and save its ass.

Here's Clout's brag page for its client MethScreen.

And MethScreen's own risibly false risk information.

Cynical and despicable.

jb

Tue, 29 May 2018 16:28:18 +1200

The point of testing prior to a new tenancy is to define a benchmark (i.e. the property was not contaminated) to avoid any challenges to findings of contamination post tenancy. (Full disclosure: no involvement in the testing industry)

Tom Semmens

Tue, 29 May 2018 14:25:35 +1200

The meth panic was never about science, or even drugs.

It was used to feed a National government approved narrative of criminalising poverty, and provided a convenient fig leaf for the flogging off of the state housing stock to the private sector.

Russell Brown

Tue, 29 May 2018 14:23:48 +1200

And here comes the new Housing NZ policy:

Based on the findings in the CSA report from today we’re moving the level which triggers the need for decontamination activity – if a Housing NZ property tests between 1.5 µg/100 cm2 and 15 µg/100 cm2, decontamination is not triggered.

We’ll continue…

Russell Brown

Tue, 29 May 2018 11:19:12 +1200

It’s remarkable how long the meth-testing industry kept up the pretence.

MethSolutions’ Miles Stratford issued this deeply deceptive press statement only a few weeks ago – clumsily attacking the Drug Foundation (and clearly looking to take advantage over the Massey High School flap).

These efforts have been led by Ross…

Max Barwell

Tue, 29 May 2018 11:13:35 +1200

Kia ora,

I have to wonder if this policy was used to evict people in Tāmaki to make way for the gentrification underway there.

The Tāmaki Regeneration Company (Joint Govt and Council) gave a promise that state tenants displaced during the developments would be able to remain local and be…

Jason Kemp

Tue, 29 May 2018 11:07:56 +1200

The first question journalists should be asking is who benefits / follow the money and variations of that. Of course they did not.

Hopefully it will be quick for the messaging to get out there. I'm surprised that some enterprising persons haven't set up a business to literally launder banknotes.…

Mikaere Curtis

Tue, 29 May 2018 10:58:29 +1200

Good work, Russell, this is an important issue that really needed an injection of objectivity.

What are the chances the media will be able to report accurate, science-based information during the run up to (next year's?) cannabis referendum ?

Hebe

Tue, 29 May 2018 10:54:31 +1200

Yep.

Russell Brown

Tue, 29 May 2018 10:12:20 +1200

Henry Cooke's report on Stuff:

"There is absolutely no evidence in the medical literature of anyone being harmed from passive use, at any level," Gluckman said.

"We can't find one case."

Gluckman said testing and cleaning still made sense when there was suspicion that methamphetamine had been produced on a…

Russell Brown

Tue, 29 May 2018 09:44:14 +1200

Phil Twyford's press release.

Sir Peter’s report found that remediation according to the NZS 8510: 2017 standard is appropriate only for identified former meth labs and properties where heavy meth use has been determined.

Along with NZS 8510: 2017, it will contribute to any regulations that may be made under…

Russell Brown

Tue, 29 May 2018 09:38:44 +1200

Within five minutes he was getting more and more exercised about the need for P testing: “You never know who’s been in here!!! Half of [upscale suburb] is on P!!!! We test EVERY house for P!! It’s essential.”. At which point I pointed out that two 90-year-olds had lived there…

Sacha

Tue, 29 May 2018 09:37:58 +1200

Appalling. Where's the redress for all the tenants wrongfully evicted and even billed for the cleanup?

Worik Stanton

Tue, 29 May 2018 09:29:17 +1200

You did good work.

It was a classic drug panic.

VLCNZ

Tue, 29 May 2018 09:29:13 +1200

News of this report gladdens my heart so much. The moral panic of meth contamination was used as a smoke screen to hide a multitude of ills perpetrated against the most vulnerable people in our society. Thank you Russell for the work you've done.

Hebe

Tue, 29 May 2018 09:25:48 +1200

Excellent work Russell. Everything about moral panic you say rings true from my own experience. Last year family were clearing ancient parents’ house after they had lived there for 30 years and readying it to rent on their behalf. It was very habitable and comfortable. We got the local letting…

Public Address

Tue, 29 May 2018 09:25:48 +1200

Discussion from blog post.