More Pacific people do not drink

In general, Pacific adults are less likely to have consumed alcohol in the past year.

In 2016/17, 60.3% of Pacific adults had consumed alcohol in the past year [84], which is significantly lower than the total New Zealand population of past-year drinkers (79.3%).

Among the diverse Pacific population, Cook Islanders and Niueans have been found to be more likely to drink than those of Samoan or Tongan ethnicity [55].

Gender differences also exist among Tongans, with men being significantly more likely to drink than women [55]. 

Among those that drink, hazardous drinking is common

However, around 4 in 10 (38.8%) of Pacific past-year drinkers were classified as hazardous drinkers (AUDIT score equals or greater than 8) [84].

In 2016/17, Pacific adults drinkers were 1.3 times more likely to be hazardous drinkers than non-Pacific drinkers, after taking into account age and sex [84].

In comparison, the prevalence of hazardous drinking among Maori drinkers was 41.5%, 23.6% in European drinkers and 11.9% in Asian drinkers [84].