Justice Minister against raising drinking age

Simon Power has asked the Law Commission to fast-track its review of alcohol legislation. Photo / Mark Mitchell

The number of liquor outlets may be limited and opening hours shortened, but if Justice Minister Simon Power has his way the purchasing age will not be raised.

Mr Power has asked the Law Commission to fast-track its comprehensive review of alcohol legislation, but he would not be drawn on specific changes.

The review of liquor laws by the commission was instigated by the previous Labour government, with the support of National. It had a wide brief to look at all alcohol laws including the purchasing age, sale of alcohol in supermarkets, extended hours of alcohol sales and the link between alcohol and health and crime.

Mr Power said he was concerned about the "ad hoc" way issues of alcohol and its regulation had been addressed.

"I don't want to sound like the grinch that stole Christmas on being able to have a beer in your local pub.

"But in the end we have to ask ourselves how broad an issue this is when it is such a critical part of offending and if you want to drive the crime rate down in New Zealand you can't do that without having a discussion about alcohol," he told Radio New Zealand.

The review should be available by the middle of the year, "well ahead of schedule". It was originally scheduled to take 2-1/2 years.

Police estimated 80 to 89 per cent of serious crime had some association with alcohol, Mr Power said.

"I don't think that you can have a serious discussion about reducing offending in New Zealand without asking yourself some serious questions about the proliferation of liquor licensing in New Zealand."

Mr Power said he did not personally believe raising the drinking age is the answer to the problems.

The issues of parental responsibility and education were important and raising the purchasing age did not deal with the issue of drinking in homes.

There are 15,000 licensed premises in New Zealand - 8000 on-licences, 4500 off-licences, 2500 club licences - and an additional 10,000 special licences for functions each year.

It is "inevitable" there will be discussion about the "appropriateness of certain alcohol outlets," both existing and future ones, Mr Power said.

He would not confirm whether existing outlets would be closed.

Changes to the time people can enter premises or buy alcohol may also be made.

"I can't be convinced that you need to walk into a bar for the first time at 3 o'clock in the morning to have a drink. It just seems to me that the range of hours that we're making alcohol available are very very wide.

"The end game here is not to deprive people of their liberty to go out and have a beer and enjoy themselves because goodness knows we wouldn't want to live in a society that promoted that."

The comprehensive review was "critical to informed discussion" about changes to alcohol regulation and he wanted to "do it once and do it well".

The review followed concerns about a proliferation of small liquor stores and the sale of alcohol in dairies.

- NZPA