A Northland health worker has told Newshub school children are being targeted by gangs to courier methamphetamine.
Meth crime has more than doubled across three police districts since 2013, Newshub revealed on Wednesday.
One of the problem areas is Northland where it's claimed kids as young as 10 are being prospected to carry the drug.
Health worker Lynette Stewart has been working in the area for 20 years, and says she's heard about it first-hand.
"Our youth workers had … many occasions where young kiddies were being prospected to be couriers for P … here in Kamo."
She says many of the kids targeted come from areas of poverty.
"I guess if someone comes along and asks them to deliver to the schools or to take it out elsewhere and they're paid to do it, that's a huge, huge temptation."
Figures released to Newshub show eight meth-charges were laid against kiwi kids between the ages of 10 and 14 over the past three years.
Over the same time 262 charges were laid by police against 15 and 19 years old caught using, making, dealing or importing P.
Te Tai Tokerau Principals' Association president Pat Newman isn't surprised, and says children have been used to courier other drugs in the past.
He's seen the problem grow over the past 17 years, and believes meth is fuelling psychological problems in kids.
"I'm positive that we are now starting to see the effects of meth's babies coming through, the same that we are dealing with foetal alcohol babies."
Te Tai Tokerau MP Kelvin Davis agrees many young kids are being exposed to P.
A social worker was shocked to see one instance at a recent tangi in Northland, he says.
"He happened to walk past a car with a woman ... An elderly woman with her grandchildren, but the woman had a P pipe with her.
"Now what hope do we have for our future generation if they're exposed to P, meth and drugs at such an early age?"
Lynette Stewart says authorities aren't on top of the problem, and wants more funding to fight methamphetamine.
"The in-roads of devastation to family and whanau is just something we can't look the other way on."
Last week the Government allocated Northland $3 million towards the fight against P, but there's fears it may not be enough to curb the problem.
Newshub.
