Former Health Minister Opposes National's Beneficiary Drug-Testing Plan
Former National health minister Dr Jonathan Coleman has come out against his party's plan to drug-test beneficiaries.
He set out his case in a New Zealand Herald opinion piece on 11 October 2026, then expanded on it on RNZ's Midday Report on 13 October 2026.
National has promised random drug testing for people on Jobseeker Support. The party says the aim is to keep people ready for work.
Its policy document says many New Zealanders must pass drug tests to get or keep a job. On that basis, it says asking Jobseeker Support recipients to take reasonable steps to stay work-ready is not too much to ask RNZ.
Coleman told RNZ's Midday Report the policy assumes drug use causes benefit use RNZ. He rejected that link. Testing, he said, is not relevant to getting people off a benefit.
He called for a health-based response rather than a punitive one. In the Herald he described the proposal as punitive and wrong. Assessment and treatment, not testing, are the right response.
In his view, the weak point is access to assessment and treatment. He said the Community Alcohol and Drug Service does good work. But some people are put off by group sessions, he said, while private treatment is very expensive.
Coleman stressed he remains a National supporter. Getting people back into work is good, he said. His objection is to the method, not the goal.
Looking at what this means for those working in the welfare portfolio, dissent from a former health minister carries weight. Coleman backs the employment goal but disputes the compliance tool. Officials, advisers and MPs will weigh that split as they assess the proposal.
The broader context here is the choice between a compliance check and a health pathway. A testing regime needs somewhere to refer people who test positive, and a service able to see them promptly. If group formats do not suit some people and private care is out of reach, questions follow about referrals, wait times and follow-up.
In my view, the exchange also tests how National handles criticism from its own former ministers. Coleman is speaking as a doctor, a former portfolio holder and a self-described supporter. That gives his comments traction in Wellington. The focus is on evidence linking testing to exits from Jobseeker Support, and whether treatment capacity would need to lift for the policy to work as described.
