Liquor law changes - readers react

File photo / Dean Purcell

There has been mixed reaction to the Government's proposed changes to liquor laws, but most Herald readers say more needs to be done.

The Government has announced a raft of proposed changes to liquor laws, aiming to reduce harm to young people while leaving "responsible New Zealanders" free to make their own decisions about the way they drink.

The changes will affect where and when alcohol can be bought and the Government is proposing splitting the purchase age - leaving it at 18 for drinking in bars, and raising it to 20 for buying alcohol in supermarkets and other outlets.

However, the changes will not affect pricing, a key complaint from many service providers, such as the Salvation Army.

Writing on nzherald's Facebook page, Liam Daly doubted that forcing Under-18s to get permission from their parents to drink would work.

"So how do the police decide if it's in actual fact the parents' signature on this so-called permission slip?" asked Liam.

Jaga Menice said the easy fix would be to just increase the alcohol purchasing age at both bars and bottle shops to 20.

Rachel Moore described the proposed law changes as an "Epic FAIL", and Marguerite Keir said the changes did not go far enough. "Who needs to drink until 4am?"

Writing in the nzherald.co.nz Your Views section, many readers said legislation would never be a quick fix to the problem.

Kieran Thomas said education was the best strategy. "When I was in school I still managed to get alcohol, so lifting the off site age won't help. The best strategy will be education - we have sex ed, drug ed but nothing aimed at alcohol."

Karlrohde agreed: "Sorry to use a cliché, but New Zealand needs to educate, not legislate.

Roger Brooking said an entire culture shift was needed. "The culture will only change when binge drinkers are stigmatised in the same way that cigarette smokers were stigmatised. That required extensive legal action by government - increases in price, banning smoking in public places, graphic warning labels, etc."

Pete agreed: "The only way to change our drinking culture is for our society to change. And the only way to achieve that is to involve the community."

Fraser said: "Changing deeply rooted perceptions and behaviours happens on a timescale measured in years or even decades, not weeks or months. When will people finally realise that quick-fixes through regulation is not a cure-all, but often the poison itself?"

Carolyn thought it was parents who had to change their actions. "We have too many wussy parents who are not prepared to say NO and this legislation will not change anything. We need strong parents who also set a good example by not binge drinking themselves. We have a terrible binge drinking culture here and its not only the kids who binge drink."

But James thought drinking was an individual issue that no one else needed to concern themself with. "Does anyone stop to consider that drinking (in whatever volume) might actually be an enjoyable pastime for a lot of us?" he asked. "You're all quick to blame "culture", an "irresponsible society", "Big Alcohol" for what is, for the most part, individual-concerning behaviour - that is, for the vast majority of drinkers across the vast majority of instances, the only people affected by their decisions are themselves."

- NZ Herald staff