New Masterton Needle Exchange Premises

Good afternoon.

It is my privilege to be here today to celebrate the opening of The Drugs, Health and Development Project Trust’s (DHDP) new Masterton premises. 

I would like to thank Bill Logan, Chair of DHDP, for inviting me to speak this afternoon.

I would like to acknowledge DHDP’s other Board members: James Heslop (Vice Chair), Catherine Healey (National coordinator of the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective), Dana de Milo, Nick Hall and Kate Kerrisk. 

I also wish to acknowledge DHDP’s dedicated staff in Wellington, Palmerston North and here in Masterton, and the great work done by the wider needle exchange workforce across New Zealand.  

It was nearly five years ago that we gathered to celebrate 21 years of the Needle Exchange Programme in New Zealand and the opening of DHDP’s new premises in Wellington.

I would like to acknowledge those organisations that have continued to support the Needle Exchange Programme in New Zealand, many of which are represented here today, including the AIDS Foundation, the New Zealand Drug Foundation, allied health services, and others working within the Alcohol and Drug community. 

There is no doubt that the needle exchange service in Masterton provides an important service for communities in Masterton and Wairarapa.

In addition to providing a needle exchange service to over 1400 clients from its physical premises on an annual basis, the Masterton needle exchange also provides a monthly mobile operation to approximately 100 clients annually. 

This mobile service covers 350 kilometres and includes the South Wairarapa, Featherston, Castlepoint, Woodville and Pahiatua, and other local towns on State Highway 2 and means that sterile needles and syringes are being provided to a population living in remote regions that are often difficult to reach with conventional services.

The Masterton needle exchange service was established by DHDP in 2008, thanks to those in the local community who, together with the District Health Board and local government, approached the Ministry of Health for a needle exchange service for the region.

DHDP has been successful in establishing productive relationships with key stakeholders, including the allied health services here in Masterton, and, most importantly, with those individuals that need and use the service.

I acknowledge that it is never an easy task for a needle exchange service to secure appropriate premises.

I understand that a lot of effort went into searching for the right premises for the Masterton service, and that there had been limited success until this current location was found.

I am advised that two of DHDP’s staff members, Brendon and Carl, spotted this premises when they were driving down Hope Street, and that they were very excited by the name of the street, which they believed was totally appropriate for the needle exchange service – providing ‘hope’ for all those who benefit from the service.

I understand that the re-location of the Masterton service has not only resulted in cost savings due to moving to smaller premises, but, with the establishment of a professional shop-front,  also provides the service with greater visibility and a stronger foothold in the community.

It is through the combined efforts of the whole Needle Exchange Programme that we can recognise the impact these services have across New Zealand.

In total, over 2.5 million sterile needles and syringes are distributed annually to people who inject drugs through 20 dedicated peer-based needle exchanges, over 175 pharmacies, and outlets provided by the New Zealand Prostitutes Collective and sexual health clinics.

More importantly, eighty percent of this distribution is accounted for through needle exchange services alone, and re-affirms the Programme’s role as a valuable, cost effective programme for reducing the spread of hepatitis C and other blood-borne viruses.

These efforts have contributed to New Zealand having one of the lowest rates of HIV in the world, with recent research indicating, at 0.05 percent, that we have the lowest rate of HIV amongst people who inject drugs in the OECD.

Alongside the Needle Exchange Programme, the Ministry of Health has progressed initiatives to ensure we have a better understanding of the profile of the hepatitis C virus in New Zealand.

These initiatives have enabled us to establish an approach to identify the one-in-twelve New Zealanders who are currently unaware they even have hepatitis C so we can encourage these people into care and treatment.

This outcome cannot be achieved through the efforts of one part of the health care system alone.

It can only be achieved through an integrated approach that leverages off services already provided by District Health Boards, community-based clinics, needle exchange services and allied health providers.

In this context, needle exchange services will continue to have an important role to play in preventing the transmission of hepatitis C.

I congratulate DHDP on finding appropriate premises for your Masterton needle exchange service, and I am looking forward to hearing more about the achievements of the service.

Likewise, I am looking forward to hearing more about the collective efforts of the Needle Exchange Programme across New Zealand to improve health outcomes for people who inject drugs, their families, whānau and the wider community.  

Thank you, once again, for inviting me to be part of your celebration this afternoon.