Ketamine is becoming much more popular in the Kiwi party scene.

The New Zealand Drug Trends Survey shows 73 percent of respondents have no trouble getting their hands on the dissociative anaesthetic.

The inflation adjusted price of MDMA has tumbled 47 percent since 2017.

Drug testing agency KnowYourStuff general manager, Casey Spearin, says use of ketamine's climbed since 2018.

"We hear, anecdotally, of students not drinking as much, people not drinking as much - and ketamine is certainly a way to have similar effects without the price and the hangovers the next day."

LISTEN ABOVE

Ketamine is becoming much more popular in the Kiwi party scene.
The New Zealand Drug Trends Survey shows 73 percent of respondents have no trouble getting their hands on the dissociative anaesthetic.
The inflation adjusted price of MDMA has tumbled 47 percent since 2017.
Drug testing agency KnowYourStuff general manager, Casey Spearin, says use of ketamine's climbed since 2018.
"We hear, anecdotally, of students not drinking as much, people not drinking as much - and ketamine is certainly a way to have similar effects without the price and the hangovers the next day."
LISTEN ABOVE

With a straight down the middle approach, Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive on Newstalk ZB delivers the very latest news and views to New Zealanders as they wrap up their day.

Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Casey Spearin: KnowYourStuff general manager on the rising popularity of ketamine

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/3d2a1e22-e4d9-4380-a0f1-b412004fcff4/transcript

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday 19 March.

Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Listen to the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast for Thursday 19 March. 
Get the Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast every weekday evening on iHeartRadio, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Full Show Podcast: 19 March 2026 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/21c0696d-8aa2-4e71-b354-b41200662b57/transcript

I’m sorry to say it’s a bit of a bad day - a day of rather unpleasant economic news, I’m afraid.

Let’s start with the GDP number. It came in at 0.2 percent for the final quarter of last year, which is very much at the low end of expectations. We were looking for something in the range of 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent, with 0.5 percent being the Reserve Bank’s forecast.

The problem with that is those were the good times. That number was recorded before the Iran war kicked off, so it’s not much of a place to be starting from, is it?

Now the good news is that at least we are recovering. Yes, it’s slow - it’s grinding - which we always knew it would be but it is real. We recorded 1.3 percent growth for the year. That’s not a lot, but it is growth and it marks the first time in more than two years that the economy has posted annual growth.

Because the GDP result is at the low end, it also gives the Reserve Bank a bit more latitude when it comes to its OCR decision. It can look through the inflation spike that the Iran war will almost certainly cause, which means it doesn’t need to be in such a hurry to raise the Official Cash Rate in response.

The second piece of bad news today is that the war has escalated. Israel has struck Iran’s oil fields, pushing the price of oil past US$110 a barrel.

It’s noticeable that the Government’s tone has shifted on fuel supply. In an update, officials sounded far less relaxed about fuel availability into the medium term - around eight weeks out - than they did earlier in the week.

There is, again, a small piece of good news here. We are largely reliant on South Korea and Singapore for our oil and they are still supplying their customers. Australia, by contrast, is much more reliant on China - and China has banned exports.

So, if we’re looking for a bright side: our supply situation looks better than some and at least we are growing. That gives us some reason not to panic on a day of not-so-great economic news.

LISTEN ABOVE

I’m sorry to say it’s a bit of a bad day - a day of rather unpleasant economic news, I’m afraid.
Let’s start with the GDP number. It came in at 0.2 percent for the final quarter of last year, which is very much at the low end of expectations. We were looking for something in the range of 0.2 percent to 0.5 percent, with 0.5 percent being the Reserve Bank’s forecast.
The problem with that is those were the good times. That number was recorded before the Iran war kicked off, so it’s not much of a place to be starting from, is it?
Now the good news is that at least we are recovering. Yes, it’s slow - it’s grinding - which we always knew it would be but it is real. We recorded 1.3 percent growth for the year. That’s not a lot, but it is growth and it marks the first time in more than two years that the economy has posted annual growth.
Because the GDP result is at the low end, it also gives the Reserve Bank a bit more latitude when it comes to its OCR decision. It can look through the inflation spike that the Iran war will almost certainly cause, which means it doesn’t need to be in such a hurry to raise the Official Cash Rate in response.
The second piece of bad news today is that the war has escalated. Israel has struck Iran’s oil fields, pushing the price of oil past US$110 a barrel.
It’s noticeable that the Government’s tone has shifted on fuel supply. In an update, officials sounded far less relaxed about fuel availability into the medium term - around eight weeks out - than they did earlier in the week.
There is, again, a small piece of good news here. We are largely reliant on South Korea and Singapore for our oil and they are still supplying their customers. Australia, by contrast, is much more reliant on China - and China has banned exports.
So, if we’re looking for a bright side: our supply situation looks better than some and at least we are growing. That gives us some reason not to panic on a day of not-so-great economic news.
LISTEN ABOVE

Perspective with Heather du Plessis-Allan: Is there a bright side to all the bad economic news?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/f1aa4d8e-7324-4d0b-9fc2-b4120067213a/transcript

Novo Nordisk, the Danish drugmaker behind famed weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, is leading the way in the semaglutide trend. 

The drugs help people lose weight, but they've also proven to be helpful in reducing health conditions like heart disease and kidney disease.

CEO Mike Doustdar says more people are starting to recognise that Novo Nordisk's output goes beyond an agent that reduces sugar for diabetics. 

"It has some very serious health benefits around it, be it cardiovascular protection, liver protection, kidney protection - and more to be tested. So it's a breakthrough innovation." 

LISTEN ABOVE

Novo Nordisk, the Danish drugmaker behind famed weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, is leading the way in the semaglutide trend.&nbsp;
The drugs help people lose weight, but they've also proven to be helpful in reducing health conditions like heart disease and kidney disease.
CEO Mike Doustdar says more people are starting to recognise that Novo Nordisk's output goes beyond an agent that reduces sugar for diabetics.&nbsp;
"It has some very serious health benefits around it, be it cardiovascular protection, liver protection, kidney protection - and more to be tested. So it's a breakthrough innovation."&nbsp;
LISTEN ABOVE

Mike Doustdar: Novo Nordisk CEO on the company's developments in weight-loss drugs

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/7784f840-c291-422a-924b-ad9000bbad71/clips/d858d055-573e-4a0f-87f1-b4120062f628/transcript

Casey Spearin: KnowYourStuff general manager on the rising popularity of ketamine

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