Government looks at one code for liquor ads

By SIMON HENDERY


The Government is to investigate establishing a single code for liquor advertising between New Zealand and Australia.

The Liquor Advisory Council, on behalf of the Ministry of Health, will examine the feasibility of the move, a decision which has been welcomed by the Association of New Zealand Advertisers (ANZA).

"An eventual transtasman liquor advertising regime would offer some real benefits to sectors of the liquor industry," said ANZA executive director Jeremy Irwin.

ANZA's membership included advertisers involved in the beer, wine and spirits sides of the alcohol industry, said Irwin.

The association would work hard to promote New Zealand's self-regulatory liquor advertising regime to those running the feasibility investigation.

"New Zealand is a small but important market for liquor companies compared with Australia. The cost of doing business in New Zealand is higher, due in part to the fact that local liquor advertisements are specially tailored to the New Zealand market only," he said.

"International creative concepts, particularly for distilled spirits brands, often fall outside the New Zealand code for advertising liquor.

"Consequently, the cost of creating advertising solely for New Zealand is significant."

Australia also operated a self-regulatory liquor advertising code and Irwin said both country's codes were similar.