Sober Check brings Australia's one-day approach to drug and alcohol testing training to New Zealand
Sober Check
- Sober Check has launched a combined one-day training course in New Zealand covering urine, oral fluid, and breath alcohol testing, bringing New Zealand's approach in line with Australia's existing single-unit training model.
- Previously, New Zealand workplace drug testers had to complete two separate courses and had no accredited training for breath alcohol testing; the new course covers all four NZQA unit standards plus breath alcohol.
- The course is delivered by Sober Check Training Limited, an NZQA-registered Private Training Establishment, with learners also gaining the NZQA Level 4 Micro-credential in Oral Fluid Drug Testing.
- Both countries follow the same joint standards — AS/NZS 4308 for urine and AS/NZS 4760 for oral fluid — and the combined course was made possible because of significant overlap between the two testing types, including chain of custody and informed consent procedures.
- The course runs as a full day, either live online or in person at the customer's workplace, and is designed to reduce duplication of content and cost for employers and occupational health providers.
MEDIA SUMMARY: Sober Check now trains New Zealand workplace testers in urine, oral fluid and breath alcohol testing in one day, the way Australia does. In New Zealand, these have usually been split across two courses, with no accredited alcohol training.
MEDIA RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: Friday, 25th September 2026
HEADLINE: Sober Check brings Australia’s one-day approach to drug and alcohol testing training to New Zealand
Auckland, New Zealand - Workplace drug testers in New Zealand can now train in urine, oral fluid and breath alcohol testing in one day, through a combined course from Sober Check.
The course covers all four NZQA unit standards for workplace drug testing, which are usually taught as two separate courses; it also covers breath alcohol testing, which has no accredited unit standard in New Zealand.
In Australia, one nationally recognised unit, HLTPAT010, already covers all three; both countries work to the same joint standards, AS/NZS 4308 for urine and AS/NZS 4760 for oral fluid.
According to Sober Check Managing Director Louis Foster, this aims to make training in New Zealand more effective by condensing the coursework and including previously excluded alcohol-related tests.
“We work on both sides of the Tasman, and there’s a noticeable difference in how testers are trained,” said Mr Foster.
“An occupational health nurse in Australia can do one course in a day and come away accredited for all three. In New Zealand they need two courses, and they might not get shown how to do alcohol testing.”
The course runs as a full day, live online or in person at the customer’s workplace using their own testing products.
It is delivered by Sober Check Training Limited, an NZQA-registered Private Training Establishment, and learners also gain the NZQA Level 4 Micro-credential in Oral Fluid Drug Testing.
For Mr Foster, this new offering is about giving employees who conduct the tests everything they need in one day, rather than doubling up on content and costs.
“Rather than doubling up on content and cost, you take one day out and get everything you need,” Foster said.
“The training process in New Zealand is good and required; however, we are now tailoring it to be more about keeping workers safe and less about ticking boxes. This is because we understand there is a lot of overlap between urine and oral fluid testing; chain of custody is largely the same, and so is getting informed consent from the donor - so when our training manager merged the two workbooks for the combined course, there were very few extra pages to add.”
Course details are on the combined course page, or call 0800 700 777.
About Sober Check:
Sober Check has supplied drug and alcohol testing equipment, training and support to New Zealand workplaces for more than 20 years, and has operated in Australia since acquiring CMM Technology in 2025. Its customers include occupational health providers, addiction treatment services, and employers in transport, forestry, construction and other safety-sensitive industries.
For all media enquiries, images, or interviews, please contact e [email protected] / p + 64 9 918 2437.
ENDS
About us:
About Sober Check:
Sober Check has supplied drug and alcohol testing equipment, training and support to New Zealand workplaces for more than 20 years, and has operated in Australia since acquiring CMM Technology in 2025. Its customers include occupational health providers, addiction treatment services, and employers in transport, forestry, construction and other safety-sensitive industries.
Contact details:
For all media enquiries, images, or interviews, please contact e [email protected] / p + 64 9 918 2437.
