National's random drug testing plan for Jobseeker Support
National would introduce random drug testing for people on Jobseeker Support to check they are ready for work.
Social Development and Employment spokesperson Louise Upston announced the policy in Paraparaumu on 7 October, according to RNZ.
The plan would start with 10,000 tests in the first year and expand over time. National puts the cost at about $1.5 million a year, from Ministry of Social Development budgets.
It would work in steps. A first failed test would be recorded. A second failed test would require a clinical drug and alcohol assessment. Only if a person then did not meet obligations after assessment could the benefit be reduced under the usual sanctions system. One failed test alone would not cut payment.
National says the policy would save just over $580 million from 2027/28 to 2030/31. That is much larger than the testing cost and reflects expected moves off benefit and lower payments.
The tests would run alongside intensive, work-focused support for 30,000 people who have been on Jobseeker Support for more than a year. That long-term group would be the priority for case management.
From 1 April 2028, National would lower Jobseeker rates for people on the benefit for two of the past three years. Households with dependent children would face a smaller cut. At current rates, that is about $48 a week for a single person without children, nearly $82 a week for a couple without children, and about $24 a week for those with dependent children.
Two other eligibility rules would change. The non-entitlement period for people who repeatedly leave work without good and sufficient reason would rise from 13 to 26 weeks. The minimum residence period for main benefits would rise from two to five years, also from 1 April 2028. MSD already administers both tests.
Random testing differs from the pre-employment testing MSD has reported on before. MSD said people failed those tests 466 times in the three years after they started in 2013, according to the NZ Herald. In the 2023 campaign National promised tougher penalties for Jobseeker unemployment benefits, as the NZ Herald reported. This plan goes further in that direction.
The broader context here is delivery. Random tests, referrals for assessment, and use of the usual sanctions system each need rules, review rights and data collection. Funding from existing budgets sharpens that question.
Looking at what this means for practitioners, 1 April 2028 does a lot of work. Rate cuts, residence changes and the savings path all meet there, so the two-in-three-year rule and how assessment duties link to sanctions will face close scrutiny.
