Kava drinkers may be safer drivers than drunks, new research has found.

A study testing driver reactions after a six-hour session of high-volume kava drinking found no significant effect on driving ability.

But University of Waikato researcher Dr Apo Aporosa, who conducted the study, said no one should jump to conclusions.

Apo Aporosa's early research into the effects of kava on driving ability seems to show no effect.

"There's something going on - we just need to be able to target it," Aporosa said.

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Kava, a muddy tasting drink derived from a root vegetable, is a legal and traditional Pacific island beverage with relaxant effects.

In New Zealand, it's up to individuals to decide whether it is safe for them to drive after drinking it.

Aporosa had hoped to learn how much of the drink was safe for drivers before they get behind the wheel.

"It would have been nice to get some certainty," he said.

Casualties from road accidents are the leading cause of hospitalisation for Pasifika men and women in New Zealand. Aporosa, a former police officer, said anecdotal reports suggest this could be linked to consumption of kava.

Since the study, Aporosa said he has met with police, who were also surprised by the findings.

In light of these results, he will hold off on public awareness campaigns he would have carried out if kava had been found to badly affect driving ability.

"One of my concerns at the moment is that Pacifikans could potentially hear that Apo's done these tests and go, Look! We're fine to drive!

"I think that is a mistake to jump to that conclusion, I think we still need to be very careful."

An estimated 20,000 people use kava on an average Friday or Saturday night in New Zealand. Most consume more kava than pharmacologically recommended and many drive home afterward.

"[People have] kind of looked at alcohol and gone, oh, kava is nothing like alcohol - I'm sweet to drive."

The tests used were industry standard tests for assessing driving under euphoric and hallucinogenic drugs.

"This is really new science," he said. "We just had to go with the best information we had at the time."

He plans to apply for funding to conduct more tests that specifically target the central nervous system, which kava is known to affect.

Aporosa, of Fijian ancestry, is a heavy kava drinker and said the study, funded by Health Research Council, was never meant to be anti-kava.

"We need to be thinking about safety and Pacifika values are respecting people and that means respecting that person that is oncoming in traffic.

"[My wife] said to me, 'I can can tell immediately when you've been drinking kava.'

"She said, 'You're not stumbling around drunk or anything like that, but you'll go to pick up a fork and you're just a little bit slower.'

"That's one of the reasons I wanted to do this, because I often think I'm okay," Aporosa said.

"We need to get to the bottom of this."