Politics of Alcohol Uncovered

The politics of alcohol in New Zealand will be uncovered at a one-day conference at Te Papa in Wellington, this coming Wednesday, 6 July, 8.40am – 5pm.

Titled “The Politics of Alcohol: Imagine NZ without alcohol damage” this symposium will feature an impressive line-up up of national experts and international speakers and a political panel at the end of the day consisting of representative MPs from New Zealand’s main political parties.

“The government’s record to date has been highly underwhelming and enormously disappointing in terms of achieving any substantial change to New Zealand’s heavy drinking culture” said University of Otago’s Professor Doug Sellman, one of the organisers of the conference on behalf of Alcohol Action NZ.

“The Law Commission was directed by the government to deliver its final recommendations considerably earlier than originally planned, but not only did the government subsequently drag the chain on bringing to Parliament its promised new legislation, when it finally arrived in the form of the Alcohol Reform Bill, it was found to be a travesty of a response to the Law Commission’s main recommendations”.

“We are interested to find out whether the Labour, Green or Maori parties would be any different and whether they are prepared to commit to alcohol reforms that would be effective in leading a change in the heavy drinking culture”.

The conference will include a major session on tobacco reform to examine whether there are lessons that can be learned from this history for achieving successful alcohol law reform.

“Both Labour and National-led governments have led change in terms of tobacco reform in New Zealand and need to be congratulated for creating a better country because of their willingness to take on the tobacco industry” said Professor Jennie Connor, another medical spokesperson for Alcohol Action NZ.

“Although the end-game is different for alcohol compared to the smokefree strategy for tobacco – an end to heavy drinking rather than an end to drinking itself - the means by which harmful heavy drinking can be reduced have been demonstrated to be the same as for tobacco” she said.

“These measures are increasing the price, decreasing the accessibility and dismantling the advertising and sponsorship”.

“And for heavy drinking, there is another potent measure that that government has put on the back burner, decreasing the blood alcohol limit for adult driving”.

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