New Zealand – INDRO e.V.

New Zealand

Methadone Treatment: available

Methadone treatment is available at 20 methadone treatment services throughout the country. In major cities there are also general practitioners prescribing methadone. Travellers needing continued methadone treatment in New Zealand are strongly advised to ask their home prescriber to contact a New Zealand clinic or GP well in advance of their intended journey to provide sufficient time for arrangements to be made (there might be waiting lists).

Importation of Methadone: possible

Travellers wishing to bring methadone to New Zealand for personal use as medication should contact their home country’s Health Authority, supply full details to them and obtain a certificate stating that the Authority is satisfied that the traveller requires methadone for the treament of a medical condition, that they have been legally supplied for that purpose and that the traveller is entitled to be in possession of methadone under current law. A copy of this certificate should be sent to the New Zealand Ministry of Health, Therapeutics Section. In addition the New Zealand Ministry requires the following information:

The traveller’s name and address, phone and fax number; name and address of the person to whom documents are to be sent (if different); name and address of the prescribing doctor with contact phone and fax number; name of the drug prescribed; daily dosage (mg/day); amount carried on arrival in New Zealand; how packed (e.g. one jar of tablets; 5 bottles of liquid); proposed date of arrival in New Zealand.

The above information should be sent to the Therapeutics Section with a minimum of 5 working days’ notice plus time for postage. The Ministry will then issue a certificate/letter for the traveller to carry and present to Customs when entering New Zealand.

Contact Addresses:

Ministry of
Health
Therapeutics Section
PO Box 5013
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 4962000
Fax: +64 4 4962340

Ministry of
Health
Health Information Service
PO Box 5013
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone: +64 4 4962000
Fax: +64 4 4962340

Methadone Treatment
Services:

Manager Methadone Treatment Services Northern Alcohol & Drug Services Whangarei Hospital Whangarei New Zealand Phone: +64 9 4382079 Fax: +64 9 4384822	Opioid Treatment Service Pitman House 50 Carrington Road Point Chevalier Auckland New Zealand Phone: +64 9 815 5841 Fax: +64 9 815 5840 (contact details last updated Jan 9, 2013)
Manager Methadone Treatment Service Alcohol and Drug Resource Centre 19 Ruakiwi Road Hamilton New Zealand Phone/Fax: +64 7 8394352	Manager Methadone Service Health Waikato 609 Mackay Street Thames New Zealand Phone: +64 7 8689550 Fax: +64 7 8689206
Co-ordinator Lakes Methadone Service 4 Hinemaru Street PO Box 1802 Roturua New Zealand Phone: +64 7 3483598 Fax: +64 7 3481783	Clinical Co-ordinator Opioid Substitution Treatment Community Alcohol & Drug Service c/o Tauranga Hospital PO Box 12024 Tauranga Bay of Plenty New Zealand Phone: +64 7 579 8391 Fax: +64 7 571 8095 (Contact details last updated December 15, 2009)
Manager Methadone Service Hathor House PO Box 12-024 Tauranga New Zealand Phone: +64 7 5785767 Fax: +64 7 5778565	Manager Methadone Treatment Service Alcohol & Drug Services Taranaki Base Hospital Private Bag 2012 New Plymouth New Zealand Phone: +64 6 7575410 Fax: +64 6 7537715
Manager Methadone Treatment Service Awhina House Private Bag 7001 Gisborne New Zealand Phone: +64 6 8671764 Fax: +64 6 8673236	Manager Methadone Treatment Service Community Health Addiction Services Private Bag Napier New Zealand Phone: +64 6 8352119 Fax: +64 6 8359234
Methadone Co-ordinator Good Health Wanganui Private Bag Wanganui New Zealand Phone: +64 6 3453909 Fax: +64 6 3450551	Manager Methadone Services Palmerston North Hospital Palmerston North New Zealand Phone: +64 6 3572066 Fax: +64 6 3570755
Manager Methadone Treatment Service Alcohol & Drug Services 265 Adelaide Road Wellington New Zealand Phone: +64 4 389/8340 or/8653 Fax: +64 4 3898008	Wairau Addictions Service Manager: Eileen Varley Methadone Coordinator: Louise Lissaman Postal: Wairau Hospital, PO Box 46, Blenheim Physical: Hospital Rd, Blenheim Phone: ++64 3 520 9908 Fax: ++64 3 520 9929 (Contact details last updated May 7, 2013)
Nelson Addictions Service Manager: Eileen Varley Methadone Coordinator: Elizabeth Steele Postal: Private Bag 18, Nelson, New Zealand Physical: 31 Pascoe St, Tahunanui, Nelson 7011, New Zealand Phone: ++64 3 546 1994 Fax: ++64 3 546 1993 (Contact details last updated May 7, 2013)	Manager Methadone Services Seaview Hospital Private Bag Hokitika New Zealand Phone: +64 3 7558044 Fax: +64 3 7558044
Christchurch Alcohol and Drug Service Hillmorton Hospital Sylavan Street Middleton Christchurch 8042 New Zealand Phone: +64 3 3 3354350 Fax: +64 3 3354351 (Contact details last updated April 14, 2014)	Manager Methadone Treatment Service Alcohol & Drug Centre Timaru Hospital Private Bag 911 Timaru New Zealand Phone: +64 3 6841420 Fax: +64 3 6841466 (Contact details last updated July 2, 2004)
Manager Community Alcohol and Drug Service Wakari Hospital Dunedin New Zealand Phone +64 3 4769760 Fax: +64 3 4769785 [Foreign travellers are taken straight on the programme for the lenght of the time they stay in Dunedin, even though there is still a waiting list for locals (3 month wait). For transfers the clinic needs info from the home prescriber on the patient’s progress (including daily dosage) and any concerns there may be – before the patient’s arrival. They also need a photo for identification. The average dose of methadone given is 100 mg, but higher-dosed patients will be accepted. Usually no take-away doses are given out. The methadone has to be drunk at a pharmacy daily.] (Dunedin contact details last updated March 4, 2011)	Manager Methadone Services Rhanna Clinic Southland Hospital Private Bag Invercargill New Zealand Phone: +64 3 214572 Fax: +64 3 2145789

Any comments, corrections and additional information greatly appreciated.
Please address all correspondence to:

Ralf Gerlach
INDRO e.V.
Bremer Platz 18-20
48155 Münster
Germany
Phone: +49 251-60123 or +49 2571-582765
Fax: +49 251-666580
Email: INDROeV@t-online.de

(This page last revised May 7, 2013)