Raising age 'won't fix drinking problem'

The Hospitality Association says there is a problem with under age drinking throughout the country but believes raising the drinking age will not fix it.

Bruce Robertson, chief executive officer of the Hospitality Association of New Zealand (HANZ), today told MPs considering legislation to raise the drinking age and tighten advertising rules, that it should be rejected outright.

There had been a cultural change since 1999 when the drinking age was lowered, which was evident in the management of licensed premises, he said.

Mr Robertson said problems such as binge drinking were not happening on licensed premises and it was a "gross-generalisation" that 18 to 19-year-olds were causing more problems than any other age group.

The majority of licensed premises were well-managed and it was when people were in unsupervised or public places that problems often occurred, he said.

HANZ president Bill McLean told MPs nobody disagreed there was a problem with teenagers attitude towards alcohol but said raising the drinking age would not help address the issue.

"Twenty years ago drink-driving was an accepted way of life but socially it is no longer acceptable," he said.

Raising the age would be a backward step that would do nothing to help bring about a similar change in attitude towards what was socially acceptable drinking, he said.

Mr McLean suggested the mix of party pills and alcohol had given drinking a bad name, with the negative side-effects of party pills leaving a mark on the hospitality industry and more research was needed in the area.

However drinking affected all age groups, he said.

"You can have as many problems with a person in their 50s as a young person."

Mr McLean said 18- to 20-year-olds had become sensible consumers on licensed premises but conceded people were either "responsible or not".

"There is a need to fix the problem but we do not agree with the proposed way of going about it."

Parliament's law and order select committee has been holding public hearings into the Sale of Liquor Amendment Bill for several months.

- NZPA