Pacific drug smuggling puts children at risk, warns non-profit

ChildFund New Zealand is calling for a broader response to illicit drugs in light of the rise of sophisticated drug smuggling operations in the Pacific.

In a statement on Tuesday, CEO Josie Pagani said the Pacific drug-trafficking surge is putting children at risk.

She said New Zealand needs to look beyond its borders to help Pacific countries deal with drugs turning up on their beaches and manage the risk to children and young people.

Her comments come after investigations by the ABC show multiple "narco-subs" operating in Pacific waters, signalling the region is becoming a key transit route for global drug networks targeting Australia and New Zealand.

ChildFund NZ said the targeted use of remote island nations as staging points exposes communities to organised crime, with potential impacts including exploitation of young people, increased substance availability to children, and pressure on already stretched local services.

"When criminal networks move in, they target places where people are already under pressure, whether that's from poverty, lack of opportunity, or climate impacts. Children are the ones who feel those pressures first and most deeply," Pagani said.

"If we only focus on stopping drugs at the New Zealand border, we miss the bigger picture.

"Prevention starts in these Pacific communities. They need to be supported to deal with drugs turning up on their beaches, and to manage the risk to children and young people."

Last month, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon during his Pacific mission to Samoa and Tonga acknowledged that the region was wrestling with the problem, but they were all stepping up their efforts and sharing more intelligence.

"It's a Pacific problem, and it's a Pacific solution that's needed to be designed," he said.