Goff u-turn on drinking age

Justice Minister Phil Goff appears to have changed his mind on setting the legal drinking age at 20.

In 1999, he opposed lowering it to 18. Last night in the first debate of a bill to raise it again to 20, he was unconvinced.

The bill - promoted by Progressive MP Matt Robson who has changed his mind the other way - will be subject to a conscience vote, probably on June 8.

Mr Goff said he would support the bill to a select committee for a close analysis but he had "real reservations" about what would be achieved by raising it back to 20. He was concerned that the implication of the bill was the serious problems of alcohol in New Zealand would be solved by making it illegal for one small group, 18 and 19-year-olds, to buy or be supplied with alcohol.

People aged 18 and 19 probably had a higher proportion of abuse of alcohol because of their lack of maturity but the vast majority of that age-group did drink responsibly.

"Why would we punish the majority to get at the minority that abuse it?" Mr Goff asked.

"And how do you justify in a society when a person can drive at 15, they can legally have sex at 16, they can vote at 18, they can go overseas and fight in a war for their country and defence forces at 18, but somehow it is illegal for them to have a beer or a glass of wine until they are 20? I cannot understand what the logic of that is."

Mr Goff denied an accusation by Mr Robson that he had advised Labour colleagues to vote against the bill.

New Zealand First MP Craig McNair used his speech to "name and shame" MPs who had supported lowering the drinking age in 1999, among them Police Minister George Hawkins, Education Minister Trevor Mallard, Defence Minister Mark Burton and United Future leader Peter Dunne.