Pages tagged "Places & Events"

Case for Change

Posted in Alcohol in workplaces

Workplaces can play a major role in changing our drinking culture and protecting employees from harm.

In 2008/09, 25% of New Zealand drinkers said they had consumed alcohol in the workplace or at meetings.

Less than 10% of drinkers in a 2012/13 survey said that they had worked while under the influence of alcohol in the last 12 months. This was higher among some ethnic groups. 

In 2008 it was estimated that 147,500 adults take one or more days off work or school due to their alcohol use (males more than females). A total of 84,400 adults reported experiencing harmful effects on their work, study or employment because of alcohol.

The estimated annual average cost of lost productivity per employee is estimated to be NZ$1097.71 (NZ$209.62 absenteeism, NZ$888.09 presenteeism) and NZ$134.62 per employer. At a population level this equates to approximately NZ$1.65 billion per year.

In New Zealand, employers have legal obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 to protect workers from health and safety risks and minimise hazards.

Take Action

Posted in Alcohol in schools / tertiary settings

It is is great that you want to take action in this important area. Here are some key steps to help you in your journey.

Get Prepared

Posted in Alcohol in schools / tertiary settings

Here's what you need to know about alcohol in school and tertiary settings:

Case for Change

Posted in Alcohol in schools / tertiary settings

Young people experience high levels of alcohol-related harm. Places where young people spend a lot of time need to promote health and well-being, rather than increase risk for a young people to experience harm. 

Schools play important functions in the wider community, and are often a hub for community gatherings. Sometimes these involve alcohol. Some schools have licences to sell/serve alcohol, others use alcohol sales as a fund-raising activity. School balls have also caused concern. More recently, Councils are adopting measures which prohibit special licences for child-focused events.

Tertiary students are among our heaviest drinking groups in New Zealand. They experience high levels of harm from their drinking. This can have a huge impact on their academic success. Orientation and other university student events, and student-oriented bars sometimes serve to highlight this.

Take Action

Posted in 1. Alcohol in public places

Many communities are taking action to address drinking in public places. Here's how you can take action.

Get Prepared

Posted in 1. Alcohol in public places

Councils develop alcohol bans, Police enforce them

Councils have the powers to address concerns about disorderly behaviour and criminal offending that arises from alcohol being consumed in public places.

They can develop Alcohol Control bylaws (also known as alcohol/liquor bans or alcohol-free zones). These specify the time and day when the consumption and possession of alcohol in the public place is prohibited. For the legislation relevant to these bylaws please click here.

These bylaws may be permanent (until the bylaw is reviewed) or temporary (to cover an event or particular time period).

For example, an Alcohol Ban may cover a town centre, a park or public reserve, or a car park, and can be 24/7 or for certain times of day/night.  A ban can also be put in place for a special event like a concert or other public event such as sport/game.

It is necessary for the Council to consult with its residents when creating such a bylaw.

Breaches of alcohol bans

The Police are the agency with the authority to enforce alcohol bans. They are given powers of arrest, search and seizure in relation to breaches of alcohol bans.

Breaches are dealt with by way of infringement notices – i.e. a fine of $250. This generally means that issues can be dealt with promptly. However, if there are other matters of concern to the Police other responses may be pursued. For more information on Police powers in relation to alcohol bans, please click here.

Consumption of alcohol by minors in a public place

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 also addresses the consumption of alcohol in public places. The Act makes is an offence for those under 18 years (unaccompanied by their legal parent or guardian) to consume alcohol in a public place, please visit the Police website for more information. This offence is subject to a $200 fine.

Working together to create alcohol-free spaces

It is also possible to take community action to create spaces alcohol-free without using an Alcohol Control Bylaw. The owners of the spaces can be asked that no alcohol is brought into or consumed in the space.

Case for Change

Posted in 1. Alcohol in public places

Drinking in public places is an important setting to take action.

Many people who go on to commit offences have been consuming alcohol in public places.

Public places may also be a popular setting for young people to drink. They can also be used as places to “pre-load” before entering licensed premises or “side-load” between visits to different bars and clubs.

Public place drinking makes people feel unsafe in their communities and has significant costs to Councils through litter, vandalism and other disorderly behaviour.

Alcohol consumption (and anti-social behaviour) can be normalised when we see it occurring in our everyday settings.

Alcohol bans/bylaws in public places can be useful to address harm in your community.

Public place drinking

Drinking in public places is associated with significant harm and disorder and is an important setting to take action.

Police data in 2007/08 identified public places to be the last place for drinking in 18% of alleged offenders who drank alcohol before their offending (14,838 apprehensions). Almost half (47%) of the alleged offenders were assessed as moderately affected by alcohol and 13% were extremely affected by alcohol at the time of arrest. In other words, around 60% of offenders were assessed at the higher end of intoxication.

Given that it is illegal for young people to drink within licensed premises (except when accompanied by their parent/guardian), public places may be a popular setting for young people to drink. Given the unsupervised nature of this drinking, it presents a significant risk of harm.

Pre-loading and side-loading in public places

Drinking in public places may also be preferred for drinkers who wish to “pre-load” before entering licensed premises. This means that they consume alcohol prior to entering a bar or night club, for example.

Public places may also be used to “side-load”, whereby off-licence alcohol is consumed between visits to different on-licence bars and clubs. Many young people describe the reasons for pre-loading being 1) wanting to get drunk and 2) because off-licence prices are cheaper than the price of alcohol in bars.

In a study of 25 countries, New Zealanders were found to have the 4th-highest prevalence of pre-loading. To address this, we need strategies which increase the price of alcohol at off-licences.

Public place drinking makes people feel unsafe in their communities

Drinking in public places contributes to people feeling unsafe about where they live, work or play. In a New Zealand Quality of Life Survey conducted in 2014 across 6 major cities, over 66% of residents considered alcohol to be a problem in their local areas. Part of these perceptions may be due to public place drinking.

There are also significant costs to councils and ratepayers associated with public drinking, due to the costs resulting from litter, vandalism and other disorderly behaviour. Cleaning up in CBD areas can come at a considerable cost in some towns and cities.

Normalisation of drinking (and violence)

Finally, we should be concerned about the normalisation of alcohol use when it is consumed in public. Just like smoking, alcohol consumption can be normalised when we see it occurring in our everyday settings. This includes the great outdoors (e.g. national parks) and large public events (e.g. music festivals). Large events that sell alcohol present additional risks through exposing young people to drinking as well as exposing them to alcohol advertising and marketing (through sponsorship and alcohol products).

Another issue relating to alcohol-related problems in public areas is the normalisation of anti-social behaviour. It is suggested that when people see alcohol-related violence in night-time areas, not only does it incite fear but it may lead to drinker’s expectations that violence goes hand in hand with drinking. This may result in further violence in night-time areas.

Addressing alcohol use in public places through liquor bylaws

Policies that restrict alcohol use at specific events or locations have the potential to affect public place drinking. To reduce harm, we need to address drinking which is time- and occasion specific, as well public drinking which occurs through casual gatherings.

Time- and occasion-specific drinking is that which is associated with specific situations or events where there are likely to be large congregations of people e.g. sport events, concerts or specific holiday times. Casual gatherings are non-specific events where people drink in public places, carrying a high risk of alcohol-related violence, vandalism and public disorders.

Alcohol bylaws can be especially useful to restrict this type of drinking and therefore reduce harm. To ensure that alcohol bans/bylaws in public places are effective, stakeholders and communities need to work together. Extensive research has found that community partnerships involving police, local authorities, health agencies, community representatives and liquor liaison groups are seen to enhance the effectiveness of liquor bans. Such partnerships can improve communication and information-sharing and benefit policing.

A case study of public place bylaws in New Zealand found that breaches of alcohol/liquor bans were often resolved by way of warnings or cautions, instead of arrests and prosecutions. As such, the number of reported prosecutions relating to breach offences can be low. People are often found to comply with an officer’s warning.

There is a lack of high quality studies relating to whether alcohol bans reduce harm. A case-study which explored the implementation of a liquor ban at Piha beach (a popular beach in Auckland) found that there was a decline in police call-outs for alcohol-related incidents and motor vehicles crashes. Liquor bans in the Auckland CBD have also been associated with increased perceptions of safety. However, it must be noted that the effectiveness of alcohol bans is closely linked to the level of police enforcement, as found in Wellington City.

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