Research & Reports
DISC Trust has extensive experience in data analysis, research and evaluation, including partnering with tertiary research institutions, see list below. Our Research Coordinator and National Harm Reduction Lead have led or partnered with various research studies, including authoring/co-authoring peer-reviewed publications.
Latest report
Increase Risk Behaviours Report, 2026 - written by Geoff Noller, PhD
Geoff Noller is an honorary research fellow from the Department of Primary Health Care & Rural Health at the Dunedin School of Medicine, University of Otago.
The report describes narrated and observed changes in risk behaviours of People Who Inject Drugs (PWID) attending DISC Trust Harm Reduction services in Te Waipounamu, following the transition of the needle exchange programme from DISC Trust to the new NEP provider (Te Waipounamu Collective), commencing in October 2025.
The purpose of this report is to openly share the information DISC has with Health New Zealand to support its decision-making and problem-solving processes.
Other research and articles include….
Injecting-related injuries experienced by people who inject drugs in New Zealand: impact, healthcare access and stigma (Potter, Noller, Pillay, Crossin, 2026) NZ Medical Journal - READ
The University of Otago teamed up with the DISC Trust to study injecting-related injuries. We surveyed fifty seven clients and also interviewed ten clients and staff members at the Rodger Wright Centre in Christchurch, and DIVO in Dunedin. We are very grateful to the clients and staff at DISC Trust and thank you for trusting us with your stories.
Otago Daily Times covered the findings, “Injuries spur call for more needle exchange funding”.
Providing safe smoking kits could reduce harm from meth use – but NZ law won’t allow it (Whelan, J, 2025) The Conversation - READ
The New Zealand Drugs Harm Ranking Study, (Crossin et al., 2023), Journal of Psychopharmacology
Needle exchange staff perspectives and knowledge about the injection of performance and image enhancing drugs, (Ponton et al., 2022), Drug & Alcohol Review
NZ Needle Exchange Programme Cost Benefit Analysis Report (Keen, D & Weston, E, 2021) - PDF 790 KB
Point of Care rapid testing for hepatitis c antibodies at NZ needle exchanges, (Noller & Bourke, 2020), NZ Medical Association Journal
Pharmaceutical opioid changes risk overdose increase in New Zealand, (Ponton & George, 2020), NZ Medical Journal
Injecting drug use among gay and bisexual men in New Zealand, (Saxton et al., 2020), Drug & Alcohol Review
Illicit Drug Injection In New Zealand: Detailing The Process To Reduce The Harms, (Ponton et al., 2019), Drug & Alcohol Review
Potential risk for fatal drug overdose perceived by people using opioid drugs, (Deering et al., 2018), Drug & Alcohol Review
Our Research Coordinator has also led Aotearoa’s last three seroprevalence surveys of NZNEP PWID clients, including the last national seroprevalence survey
Northern Region Seroprevalence Survey, (eight North Island sites), 2023
Targeted Testing Pilot (three South Island sites), 2017
2013 National Seroprevalence Survey