NZ alcohol laws must toughen up, church warns
Church leaders in New Zealand have welcomed government plans to change its alcohol laws but say further measures must be introduced in order to make a real impact on irresponsible drinking country-wide.
Government chiefs have proposed several amendments this week in a bid to curb binge and underage drinking without unfairly affecting responsible drinkers.
The measures include upping the purchase age of alcohol from off-licences from 18 to 20, banning pre-mixed alcoholic drinks with an alcohol level exceeding 5 per cent and making it an offence for anyone other than a parent or guardian to provide alcohol to an under-18-year-old without parental consent.
But church leaders and critics say the changes on their own are not enough to make a significant impact in the long-term.
Director of Christchurch's National Addiction Centre, Professor Doug Sellman, said the government was avoiding big policy decisions, such as increasing prices and restricting advertising, and has ended up with a package that was "like treating cancer with a couple of aspirin".
Alcohol Action NZ has reported that 92 per cent of New Zealand's heavy drinkers are 20 years and over, and 70 per cent were 25 and over.
The organisation has been at the helm of a five-pronged campaign backed by the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa New Zealand to lobby the government into action.
They want to see an initiative called the "five+ solution" implemented, which aims to:
- Raise alcohol prices
- Raise the purchase age
- Reduce alcohol accessiblity
- Reduce marketing and advertising
- Increase drink-driving counter measures
PCANZ moderator Rt Rev Dr Graham Redding said although it is pleased that the government has gone some way to improving the alcohol laws, they need to do more: "We will continue to encourage the Government to raise the drinking age to 20, raise the price of alcohol and put in place greater controls on alcohol advertising and marketing. International research has shown that together these three combined are the most effective ways to reduce alcohol-related harm and save lives. We called for these changes in our submission and we will continue to do so once the Alcohol Reform Bill is introduced to Parliament and goes to a select committee for consideration."