Alcohol traps Maori youth: report

By ANGELA GREGORY Maori issues reporter

Lowering the legal drinking age may create long-term health problems for Maori, with nearly half their young people already estimated to be hazardous drinkers, says a report.

Produced by Te Puni Kokiri, the report also finds that low socio-economic status increases the likelihood of risk-taking behaviour such as smoking and drinking.

The report says surveys show that 43 per cent of Maori aged between 15 and 24 are hazardous drinkers - defined as having five or more drinks in a session.

Parliament's lowering of the legal drinking age to 18 last July could increase the number of binge drinkers, with a resultant impact on Maori health status.

The report also highlights statistics showing 63 per cent of Maori with an annual income under $10,000 are smokers.

Between 1989 and 1993 nearly one-third of Maori deaths were attributed to cigarette smoking.

The report concludes that improvements in Maori health will eventuate only if their socio-economic position improves.

Associate Maori Affairs Minister Tariana Turia said she was concerned about the levels of drinking and smoking among Maori.

Mrs Turia said she would like to see cigarettes banned from sale altogether, and tougher regulation of alcohol sales.

"Why would you allow a killer substance to be sold across the counter when you know the huge death rate?"

A non-drinker and non-smoker, Mrs Turia said she had seen the destruction to families caused by alcohol abuse.

"We have so many issues that confront our people which alcohol exacerbates."

Young Maori she visited in prison told her that alcohol was involved in their offending, and the majority of young Maori road deaths also involved alcohol.

Mrs Turia said lowering the drinking age had increased access to alcohol and police had told her that more and more young people were getting highly intoxicated.

Maori were particularly vulnerable because of the high proportion who lived in stressful situations, including poverty, she said.

Mrs Turia pondered the value of the report she had released, as the continual negative statistics about Maori made them feel terrible.

"We never attack the booze barons and cigarette companies."

The chief executive of the Alcohol Advisory Council, Dr Mike MacAvoy, said constructive solutions were more valuable than statistics.

Dr MacAvoy said binge drinking could be becoming a problem for children as young as 12.

A Maori wardens coordinator for Auckland's inner-city, Hine Grindlay, was sure more under-age Maori were getting their hands on alcohol.

"I've seen them on the streets myself."

Mrs Grindlay said the behaviour of drunken youth, and not just Maori, after the recent Concert in the Park was disgusting.

"Down Queen St it was chaos ... and the kids didn't care. They just walked along with their bottles of alcohol in our face."

Mrs Grindlay said there was no monitoring of the problem and she was concerned at the loss of control.

"Some of the kids think it's a laugh, it's like a circus."

Alcohol Healthwatch spokesman Roger Eccles said not enough education had been done to reduce alcohol abuse for youth since the legislation change.

"Anecdotally, police around the country are saying there is a problem, so it is time for a major push on education, as was stated would happen."

Medical Association chairwoman Dr Pippa MacKay said the Government was obliged to assess the impact of social policy changes, but had failed in this case.

She said liquor outlets were not running age checks and that sales were inadequately policed.