NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Dr Tony Farrell: Alcohol-related harm can be reduced - if we act

Bay of Plenty Times
26 Oct, 2022 09:00 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

We need more governance over our harmful and inequitable alcohol environment, especially for our unborn children, and tangata whenua, writes Dr Tony Farrell. Photo / Andrew Warner

We need more governance over our harmful and inequitable alcohol environment, especially for our unborn children, and tangata whenua, writes Dr Tony Farrell. Photo / Andrew Warner

Tony Farrell
Opinion by Tony Farrell
Tony is a columnist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post

OPINION

No sooner than I tell my Uber driver that I am in Wellington for the Tohe Waipiro Aotearoa/Alcohol Action New Zealand 12th annual conference, he states he won't Uber drive at night.

He says it isn't safe. He would rather earn less money during the daytime than risk alcohol-related violence and driving intoxicated clients in the evenings.

This discussion jogged memories of my daughter arriving back at her flat after a university exam.

She found a semi-conscious woman who had been drinking, half-prone at the bottom of stairs in an outside laundry area.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

As my daughter's friends lifted her up the stairs, she vomited and turned blue.

Thankfully, her airway was able to be cleared. They called for assistance, but no ambulance was available.

The fire service turned up but refused to transport her to the emergency department due to the vomit.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

This young woman was transported to safety in the back of a young man's car with anxiety about her breathing.

These scary, preventable and far-too-prevalent alcohol-related stories impact many of us. I was in Wellington to learn more about how to limit them.

Discover more

New Zealand

Dr Tony Farrell: It's time to change alcohol's connection to sport in NZ

03 Oct 09:00 PM
Opinion

Comment: Embarrassing stories from the doctor's surgery

26 Aug 10:00 PM

Our conference this year was about fairer, healthier alcohol policy and asked the question: if not now - when?

The underestimated harms of alcohol, especially on the brain, were highlighted.

A common theme is that these effects can be mitigated by best-practice alcohol policy, and in our present health system there are few resources to assist those who have suffered these harms.

Valerie McGinn, a well-known neuropsychologist who specialises in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), demonstrated how disabling brain damage from prenatal alcohol exposure can be.

Toxic brain injuries can result in impacting the ability of persons living with FASD to learn, modify their behaviour, and regulate their emotions.

Without early intervention, huge potential is lost.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However, disability support for FASD is often denied because the problems due to brain damage are classified as "behavioural".

This leaves families, schools and other support services stranded and under-resourced.

Senior scientist Jurgen Rhem, a keynote speaker from Toronto, painted the scenario of early onset dementia relating to heavy drinking.

Alcohol is associated with about 40 per cent of dementia occurring before age 65, and 18 per cent of people with early dementia have or have had an alcohol use disorder.

Because 20 per cent of our population drink hazardously, this has major implications for our health services.

There is a management challenge for these patients, because most dementia services are for over-65s.

The evidence for a public health approach was brought up to date prior to the book launch of the third edition of Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity.

This is the bible of evidence-based alcohol harm reduction.

There is now stronger evidence that increasing excise tax reduces alcohol harm, and minimum unit pricing - which states the lowest price at which a unit of alcohol or standard drink can be sold - helps limit harm from ultra-cheap alcohol as an adjunct.

Dismantling advertising remains so important but presents a great challenge, because even non-alcoholic products displaying alcohol brands cause harm.

Social media is the wild west for brazen youth-oriented alcohol marketing, almost impossible to monitor and scrutinise.

Michael Livingston, an associate professor from the National Drug Institute in Melbourne, presented studies demonstrating that even small reductions in the accessibility for alcohol-reduced opening hours can have large impacts on reducing alcohol-related assaults.

The focus then turned to equity, as our advocacy not only encompasses the institution of evidence-based alcohol policy, but endeavours to ensure all citizens are protected by the policy in a proportionate manner.

In New Zealand, Māori and Pasifika suffer disproportionately high levels of alcohol-related harm.

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act does not include clauses that ensure the Treaty of Waitangi is given effect when it comes to alcohol policy. Without this, it is very difficult for Māori to have appropriate processes and representation in alcohol-related decision-making.

Consultant Kristen Maynard presented her mahi, funded by Te Hiringa Hauora (Health Promotion Agency), which recommended that New Zealand's alcohol laws include specific mention of Te Tiriti and that legislation ensures Māori can meaningfully and effectively participate in alcohol policy decisions.

She emphasised alcohol policy should require the elimination (not reduction) of inequities between Māori and non-Māori.

Ongoing monitoring and mandatory reporting of inequities are important in this regard.

The Labour government previously signalled an intent to review our liquor laws and more recently, an alcohol harm reduction bill has been announced.

These present another generational opportunity for leadership on this issue, which the National government overlooked a decade ago.

The social and health burdens relating to alcohol are onerous and we all pay the price of inaction.

We need more governance over our harmful and inequitable alcohol environment, especially for our unborn children, and tangata whenua.

This can be done without prohibition, incorporating the work of many great minds in the alcohol harm reduction field.

Tony Farrell has been a general practitioner for 30 years. He is a Mount Medical Centre director and a Fellow ofthe Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners. Tony has a special interest in mental health and addiction and is a trustee of Hanmer Clinic and medical spokesperson for Alcohol Action NZ.
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from New Zealand

Property

Watch: 'My raging backyard river' - North Shore homeowner fears stormwater torrent

11 Jul 06:00 AM
New Zealand

Watch: Shore homeowner fears raging backyard river, council says it can’t pipe stormwater

New Zealand

Flood fears for Auckland

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Watch: 'My raging backyard river' - North Shore homeowner fears stormwater torrent

Watch: 'My raging backyard river' - North Shore homeowner fears stormwater torrent

11 Jul 06:00 AM

'Land eroding, health and safety of young kids has been at risk for the last three years'.

Watch: Shore homeowner fears raging backyard river, council says it can’t pipe stormwater

Watch: Shore homeowner fears raging backyard river, council says it can’t pipe stormwater

Flood fears for Auckland

Flood fears for Auckland

'Evacuate to higher ground': Emergency alert in Tasman, Vector on standby in Akl
live

'Evacuate to higher ground': Emergency alert in Tasman, Vector on standby in Akl

11 Jul 05:50 AM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP