Northland experts disappointed at alcohol advertising regulation delay

Advice on the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Bill has been moved to next year. Photo / 123RF

Northland health advocates are disappointed in the Prime Minister’s decision to delay vital alcohol reforms in the midst of a national crisis.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced this month he was deferring advice on the second part of alcohol reform legislation, that relates to pricing, sponsorship and advertising, to April next year as opposed to March this year.

The delay was part of a policy bonfire by the PM in the name of supporting Kiwis through the cost of living crisis.

Justice Minister Kiri Allan also contributed by delaying the reform of alcohol advertising in sports, as Hipkins didn’t want to see sports costs increase for families if advertising dropped.

Northland Emergency Department doctor Gary Payinda - who is at the coal face of alcohol harm in the ED - said communities have been fighting for decades for reforms, but it’s an uphill battle against the alcohol industry.

“It’s unfortunate that the government has decided to delay reforms, but unsurprising given the truly massive industry profits at stake,” Payinda said.

Reducing the harm of alcohol could have a hugely positive impact on the Northland general practices and hospitals struggling to keep up with a shortage of staff and failing infrastructure.

Payinda said on some weekend nights, there are more patients presenting with alcohol-related harm than anything else.

“Decreasing this even by a little bit would ease ED and hospital overcrowding, and decrease staff assaults,” Payinda said.

Every day, between four and seven people with alcohol-related harm are seen in Te Whatu Ora Emergency Departments at Northland hospitals on average.

The statistics from Te Whatu Ora Northland equate to nearly one in 100 people in Northland being harmed by alcohol, and needing emergency care.

“Alcohol’s impacts on healthcare go much deeper than just drunk or abusive patients. It has a hand in about 40 per cent of all fatal car crashes and also contributes significantly to many cancers, child abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and even dementia,” Payinda said.

In Northland, screening for alcohol and drugs has surveyed more than 4000 people between 2021 and 2022 and helped 233 of those people access support from Te Whatu Ora alcohol and drug service in Te Tai Tokerau.

“Corporations profit handsomely, but pay a minuscule amount towards the costs of all of that social damage,” Payinda said.

In New Zealand, the production and sale of alcohol is a multi-billion dollar industry.

Iwi leader and Te Pāti Māori Te Tai Tokerau candidate Mariameno Kapa-Kingi. Photo / Te Pāti Māori

Mariameno Kapa-Kingi, Te Rūnanga o Whaingaroa chairperson and Te Pāti Maori candidate for Te Tai Tokerau, said the harm from alcohol to children and families is devastating and lasts for generations.

“The issue is poverty and alcoholism and all of those things fall out of communities that feel disconnected and not valued, understood or even seen.

“In a way, it’s not a surprise but it’s a deep letdown for the communities,” said Kapa-Kingi, about the decision to delay the reform.

In 2015, Kapa-Kingi was part of a group which won a year-long standoff over a controversial proposal for a second bottle store in Onerahi.

During these hearings, Northland community volunteers have to take days off work to face off against professional alcohol lobbyists.

“This issue is so embedded in our community psyche and the things that come out of it are often very bad, it doesn’t reach the top of the agenda soon enough,” Kapa-Kingi said.

Recent legislation changes mean soon councils can set Local Alcohol Policies that will no longer be subject to appeals by the alcohol industry, giving communities more control over granting of licences.