A man driving with his young daughter has become the first person to test positive under New Zealand's new roadside oral fluid drug screening regime.
The 40-year-old was stopped at a police checkpoint on Hutt Rd just before 9pm on Thursday where officers used the new device that detects four impairing drugs: THC (cannabis), methamphetamine, MDMA (ecstasy), and cocaine.
"The test came back positive for methamphetamine," said Superintendent Steve Greally, Director of Road Policing.
Following the initial screening, the man was required to provide a saliva sample for laboratory testing but was unable to do so. He was then asked to provide a blood sample, which he refused.
He was summonsed to appear in the Hutt Valley District Court in January and has had his licence suspended for 28 days. The man and his daughter were taken home in a police car.
Greally said drug-impaired driving had caused "some of the most heartbreaking and horrific crashes" he has witnessed.
"I’ve seen the devastation etched on the faces of whānau when they hear the unthinkable: that their loved one is gone," he said.
"We make no apology for screening drivers to see if they've recently used drugs, and getting a drugged driver off our roads makes them safer."
The new roadside drug testing regime was introduced in the Wellington region on Monday.
It will be introduced to other parts of the country from April 2026, with nationwide coverage expected mid-2026.
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