Fact Check - Setting The Record Straight On Beer, Wine And Spirits In NZ

“Public debate about alcohol in New Zealand is sometimes dominated by outdated assumptions. The latest evidence shows a far more balanced and positive picture – one that deserves to be part of the conversation”, said NZABC Executive Director Virginia Nicholls.

Alcohol consumption in New Zealand has been declining for decades[i] New Zealanders drink significantly less alcohol per person than they did in the 1980s, with longterm data showing a sustained downward trend in alcohol available for consumption.

“The gap between perception and reality is widening, and some claims don’t align with longterm data trends,” said Virginia.

Most New Zealanders drink responsibly

The NZ Health survey[ii] consistently shows that five out of six adults drink in a responsible way, and there has been an across-the-board decline in different measures of riskier drinking as compared to 2016/17. This is why targeted, evidencebased interventions are more effective than onesizefitsall measures which penalise responsible drinkers.

Hazardous drinking is declining

The proportion of adults classified as hazardous drinkers have declined by 22% from 2020 to 2025, indicating a continued shift toward more moderate drinking patterns.

Binge (heavy episodic) drinking in NZ[iii] is declining and is well below the OECD average:

Since 2020, binge drinking in NZ has declined by 21.8%. This also reinforces the trend towards more moderate drinking.

Compared with the OECD[iv] binge drinking average of 27% (2023), NZ is sitting at 17.5%, which is lower than many countries, including Canada, the United States, Australia, Italy, Ireland, Germany and the United Kingdom. However, this is still too high.

More Kiwis are opting out – and some are choosing low and no alcohol options

More New Zealanders[v] are choosing not to drink, which has declined by 5.9% from 2012 to 2025. More consumers are also choosing low and no alcohol options, independent industry research found 50% said they drank low or no alcohol beverages in the past year.

Youth drinking is changing[vi] 
Youth aged 15-17 years, more are not starting to drink, are drinking later, drinking less, and less hazardously than previous generations. The New Zealand Health Survey[vii] shows declining drinking prevalence and hazardous drinking among young people, reflecting the generational shift is a strong indicator that our drinking culture is changing.

“The evidence is clear - Kiwis are drinking less and more adults drink responsibly. Young people are drinking very differently and we are seeing a positive generational shift,” says Virginia.

“It is also important that policy decisions should be based on evidence, not outdated assumptions”, said Virginia.

Myth vs Fact: alcohol in NZ:

• Myth: Kiwis are drinking more than ever.
  Fact: Alcohol available for consumption per person in NZ has declined by more than a third since 1986.
• Myth: Most adults drink hazardously.
  Fact: The New Zealand Health Survey reports responsible drinking is undertaken by five out of six adults and has increased by 22% since 2020. Hazardous drinking occurs in one out of six adults and although declining is still too high.
• Myth: binge drinking in NZ is getting worse compared with the OECD: 
  Fact: New Zealanders binge drinking is considerably less than the OECD average, and lower than countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom.
• Myth: If I just wait an hour, I’ll be back to normal.
  Fact: Our liver can only process around one standard drink each hour (10g of pure alcohol), so alcohol can stay in your system longer than you expect—especially if you’ve had several drinks. Its also important to keep your water intake up.
• Myth: A “glass” always equals one drink.
  Fact: In NZ, one standard drink contains 10g of pure alcohol, and some drinks can be more than one standard drink and so its important to check the label.

• Myth: Having a meal or snack stops you getting drunk
  Fact: Food will not stop you getting drunk. Eating helps slow down the rate at which alcohol is absorbed, however, we can only process one standard drink an hour.

About the New Zealand Alcohol Beverages Council: 

The NZ Alcohol Beverages Council is a pan-industry group that comments publicly on matters relating to the beer, wine, spirits and beverage industry. It focuses on supporting responsible alcohol consumption and wants to see a fair and balanced debate on alcohol regulation in New Zealand.

References:

[i] Stats NZ: Total NZ population 15 years and over alcohol available for consumption (per head of population). Year end December 1986 (11.282 litres pure alcohol, year end December 2025 (7.187 litres pure alcohol), accessed 1 April 2026: Alcohol available for consumption: Year ended December 2025 | Stats NZ. This has declined by more than a third since 1986.

[ii] In the NZ Health survey (Nov 2025) five out of six New Zealanders (83.4%) drink beer, wine and spirits responsibly, and there has been an across-the-board decline in different measures of riskier drinking as compared to 2016/17. Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey | Ministry of Health NZ accessed 19 November 2025. There were 9,253 adult sample size.

The rate of hazardous drinking in adults has consistently declined from 21.3% in 2020 to 16.6% this year, a reduction of 22%.

Hazardous drinkers are those who obtain an AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) score of 8 or more, representing an established pattern of drinking that carries a high risk of future damage to physical or mental health, such as how often do you have six or more drinks on one occasion. Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)

[iii] Binge (heavy episodic) drinking (NZ) - drinking 6 or more alcoholic drinks in one occasion (60g of pure alcohol), at least monthly (total population), has declined by 21.8% from 2020 to 2025 (22.5% (2019/2020) to 17.6% (2024/2025). New Zealand Health Survey Annual Data Explorer, accessed 20 April 2026

[iv] OECD heavy episodic drinking among people aged 15 and over, 2023 (or nearest year): Heavy episodic drinking (also called binge drinking) is defined in the 2023 European Social Survey as the share of people aged 15 and over who reported consuming 48 g of alcohol for women and 64 g for men (about 5+ drinks for women and 6+ for men) on one single occasion at least monthly in the past year. Results may differ from national sources. Data are available at https://ess.sikt.no/.

https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/health-at-a-glance-2025_8f9e3f98-en/full-report/alcohol-consumption_f009f222.html#title-4792848ecb

# there are slight differences in the data from the NZ Health Survey, and the OECD between men and women. In NZ this is measured across men and women who drink 6 or more alcoholic drinks (60g pure alcohol) in one occasion, at least monthly (total population). The OECD consuming 48 g of alcohol for women and 64 g for men (about 5+ drinks for women and 6+ for men) on one single occasion at least monthly in the past year

[v] The New Zealand Health Survey shows the share of adults who drink alcohol has fallen from 79.6% (2011/12) to 74.9% (2024/25), a 5.9% decrease. Independent Curia market research (Oct 2025; 1,000 respondents) found 50% said they drank low or noalcohol beverages in the past year (up from 40% in 2020), most commonly because they were driving, tracking consumption, for health and wellbeing reasons, or for a lowercalorie option.

[vi]Although the legal age for purchasing alcohol in NZ is 18 years old, 49% of those aged 15-17 years drank alcohol in the past year (60.3% in 2011/12), a reduction of 23% (NZ Health survey 2025).

This lines up with the NZ Youth 2000 survey which shows an increasing proportion of secondary school students are choosing not to drink. The proportion of secondary students who have never drunk alcohol increased markedly from 26% in 2007, to 45% in 2019. Youth19 was conducted in 2019 in the Auckland, Northland & Waikato regions by researchers from The University of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, University of Otago and Auckland University of Technology. Youth19 is a scientifically and ethically rigorous survey, funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. Youth19 - A Youth2000 Survey.

[vii] NZ Health survey: aged 15-17 years past year drinkers alcohol use 60.3% (2011/12) to 49% (2024/25), a decline of 18.7% and Hazardous drinking pattern in total population age 15-17 years 7.9% (16/17) and 5.8% (23/24), a 26.6% decrease. Annual Update of Key Results 2024/25: New Zealand Health Survey | Ministry of Health NZ accessed 19 November 2025.

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