Drug abuse has been described as ''the root of most evils'' and the main cause of a high rate of mental health problems in the shearing industry.
Dunedin-based Public Health South mental health promoter Rodger Mangai is delving into the causes of depression among shearers in the South, with research that could have spin-offs for other industries.
He told delegates at the New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association in Dunedin last week that the root cause was well-known and had been around for a long time.
''Ill mental health does not just drop out of the sky, it just does not happen. There are things that lead up to it. One of the biggest contributors to ill mental health, and we all know, is alcohol and drugs and that is the issue,'' Mr Mangai said.
He said the research could have spin-offs for other industries suffering from similar problems, where employees were suffering from depression or lack of productivity.
New Zealand Drug Detection Agency Otago general manager John Galliven, of Dunedin, said drug use was no longer confined to a few industries and had almost become ''part of the culture'' in New Zealand.
''It is now far-reaching, from your industrial worker right through to your white collar.''
Alexandra shearing contractor Peter Lyon said drug use was ''the root of most evils''.
''The next generation down [from me], it is just par for the course to have a joint at tea time, or whatever.''
Others at the conference said it was commonplace for whole shearing gangs to share a joint during their tea break.
Otago Southland Employers Association managing solicitor Diana Hudson said she thought drug and alcohol use was ''an increasing issue'' for many employers in Dunedin and further afield.
She said employers handled the issue in various ways from providing counselling, through to drug-testing.
Mr Mangai said he chose the shearing industry because it was a chance to work in a profession where there were a lot of Maori.
About 75% of New Zealand's 8000 shearers are Maori.
''It is important to know who you are and where you come from. You see the contractor as a kaumatua and those who struggle with identity tend to see the shearing gang as whanau and their marae.''
He said other health researchers had found that solutions tailored for Maori worked well for the wider community.
