Highlanders under fire for Instagram post that 'promotes heavy drinking'

Highlanders players celebrate winning the Super Rugby Final over the Hurricanes in 2015. Photo / Photosport

A Highlanders social media post describing drinking for 12 days straight as a "great flatting yarn" has been criticised by a public health physician as promoting heavy alcohol consumption.

The Instagram post, removed yesterday afternoon, was part of a joint competition promotion between the Highlanders and sponsor Pulse Energy.

It offered a paid trip to Dunedin to see the team play, and required entrants to submit memories of their old student flat.

The post by the Highlanders featured one such story from a man known only as Stan, and was billed by the team's page as a "great flatting yarn".

"We drank for 12 days straight when the Landers won in 2015," it read.

"We left the Highlanders 10-hour loop on for 9 days even throughout the night.

"I rang [Highlanders' fan favourite] Marty Banks every day for a month and now he's my mate.

"And I wore a Highlanders flag round my headgear for a week."

The post garnered thousands of likes and supportive comments, but University of Otago preventive and social medicine chair Prof Jennie Connor was not a fan, saying it glamourised dangerous behaviour.

"This post is clearly promoting heavy drinking.

"If it was an alcohol advertisement it would break the advertising code, because it is glamorising heavy drinking".

However, the social media post was not covered under the alcohol industry self-regulation, she said.

In Connnor's view, the post went against the spirit of the Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012, which included "Irresponsible promotion of alcohol" as an offence.

"So the post breaks the spirit of the code, and the spirit of the new law and is a free ad for the alcohol industry."

Connnor said she would not imagine the University of Otago, a sponsor of the Highlanders, would be happy with the post, especially given the commitment of vice-chancellor Harlene Hayne to reducing heavy drinking.

A university spokeswoman said in a statement it supported the freedom of academics to comment on such issues.

"The university also enjoys an excellent relationship with the Highlanders franchise, and will discuss any concerns with them as and if required."

The post was deleted yesterday afternoon following inquiries from the Otago Daily Times.

Highlanders media manager Greg O'Brien said Prof Connor made "some very good points" the organisation would consider.

"It was never our intention to promote heavy drinking, as this was merely a competition to enable former students to win the opportunity to return to Dunedin by recalling some stories of their uni days.

"This illustrates that some stories are more appropriate than others."