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Residential methamphetamine contamination in New Zealand has resulted in substantial clean-up costs and evictions. Disputes between tenants and landlords have been adjudicated by the New Zealand Tenancy Tribunal (NZTT). However, the adjudication processes applied are not covered in specific legislation, and scientific advice and related regulatory standards have evolved over time, leading to uncertainty about the consistency of decisions. This study explores the factors that have influenced adjudicators' decisions by thematically analysing 685 NZTT orders from 2014 to 2019. Landlords filed 84% of applications and tenants were deemed liable for 96% of the NZ$2.8 million damages awarded. The Tribunal's decisions were unevenly influenced by baseline testing, presence of children, experience of health issues, police intervention, and neighbours' reports. Several factors contributed to inconsistent decisions, including the contamination threshold applied, sampling methodology, establishing liability for contamination, and assessing "cleanliness". This study suggests more judicial guidance and legislation is required to resolve these cases more equitably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few countries have developed detailed legislative proposals for legalizing cannabis. New Zealand recently released the Cannabis Legalization and Control Bill (CLCB) that will be the subject of a referendum in September 2020. Aims: To assess the CLCB, drawing on emerging evidence from cannabis legalization overseas, public health research on alcohol and tobacco and the attempt to establish a regulated market for 'legal highs' in New Zealand. Discussion: The CLCB proposes a strictly regulated commercial cannabis market that resembles the Canadian approach, but notably without on‐line sales or regional heterogeneity in retail distribution. The objective of the CLCB of lowering cannabis use over time appears at odds with the largely commercial cannabis sector that will focus on expanding sales. The CLCB includes provision for home cultivation and social benefit operators, but it is not clear what priority these operators will receive. A potency cap of 15% tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) for cannabis plants is included, and this is at the high end of black‐market cannabis. The proposed progressive product tax based on THC will be challenging to implement. There is no formal minimum price, but rather discretionary powers to raise the excise if the price drops too much. The CLCB includes a comprehensive ban on advertising, but non‐conventional on‐line promotion will be difficult to suppress. The central government cannabis authority is tasked with developing local retail outlet policies. We caution against the temptation to employ an interim regulatory regime following a positive referendum result, because a partially regulated market will expose users to health risks and undermine public support. Conclusions: New Zealand's Cannabis Legalization and Control Bill's objective of reducing cannabis use via a commercial market will be challenging to achieve. The bill could be strengthened with formal minimum pricing, lower potency cap and greater clarity concerning social benefit operators and the role of local government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Small towns in New Zealand have reported high availability of methamphetamine, and conversely a shortage of cannabis. Stakeholders have suggested drug dealers are purposely promoting methamphetamine rather than cannabis.Aims: (1) To compare the availability of methamphetamine and cannabis in different size communities; (2) Identify determinants of the high availability of methamphetamine, including low availability of cannabis.Method: An online drug survey was promoted via a broadly targeted Facebook™ campaign. Participants were asked if they lived in a "city", "small town" or "rural area", their drug use patterns, and local drug market characteristics, including current availability. A total of 6311 people completed the survey. Logistic regression models were constructed to identify independent predictors of reporting high availability of methamphetamine, cannabis, ecstasy and LSD respectively, with low availability of cannabis included as a predictor in the non-cannabis markets.Results: Methamphetamine was reported to be more available than cannabis in all regions. Methamphetamine was more available in towns/rural areas than in cities. Significant predictors of high availability of methamphetamine were living in a town/rural area (OR = 1.38), purchasing from a gang member (OR = 1.88), daily methamphetamine use (OR = 2.41), Maori ethnicity (OR = 1.36) and reporting low availability of cannabis (OR = 1.89). Low availability of cannabis was not a predictor of high availability of ecstasy or LSD. Living in a town/rural area was not a predictor of high availability of cannabis, LSD or ecstasy. Purchasing from a gang member was a predictor of high availability of cannabis (OR = 1.80) and LSD (OR = 4.61).Conclusions: Further research is required to identify what causal relationships, if any, there are between the statistical associations of high methamphetamine availability, living in a small town, purchasing from a gang, and low cannabis availability. It may be the case that small towns offer an environment where a gang can control the local drugs market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines conceptions of governance and freedom embedded within a new school autonomy policy in Queensland (Australia). Drawing on interview data from case study research, it foregrounds the practices of two school leaders from a secondary school in regional Queensland. It considers how such conceptions foster an entrepreneurial leadership of competition and compliance but also how they create space for something other than these dominant performative priorities. The paper’s theoretical contribution responds to calls for more nuanced accounts of entrepreneurial leadership to better understand how current performative demands are impacting on school leaders amid increasingly autonomised education systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]