NZ Drinking Maturing – Research Suggests

A recently released industry survey points to a maturing in the way we drink. Completed in October last year and released a month after that the annual survey of 1,000 New Zealanders sheds some light on not only why people are drinking less but how they are going about this.

“We all know that, overall, the amount we drink has been coming down for decades and is at an all time low per capita[1],” says Spirits NZ CEO, Robert Brewer.

“What we now see more clearly is this is about the way we drink rather than just what we drink,” says Robert.

“For spirits, and in particular the ever popular cocktail, almost 40% of those surveyed say they consume these premium drinks more slowly than other drinks. We call this the “sip and savour” approach which we’ve been observing in the market for a few years now.

“Pacing yourself while drinking is an important indicator of good, social drinking habits. In simple terms we’re simply slowing down which is a good thing and certainly indicates a maturing in the way we drink.”

The survey goes on to reveal that 62% of respondents tried a premium drink in the last 12 months with the main reason for choosing premium being taste (62%), a special occasion (53%) and quality (51%). And the poll also gives us insight into why people are drinking less with staying under the blood alcohol limit being the most important (78%).

Other factors that moderated respondents’ drinking included -

• Staying under driving limit 78%
• Avoiding a hangover 49%
• Not getting drunk 46%
• Concern over health 44%
• Cost 44%

Note:

[1] We are drinking differently and in the Stats NZ data in the year to September 2025 we had more than 30% decline in alcohol consumption which is the lowest amount of alcohol available for consumption, per capita, since 1984.

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