Law Commission's Review of Liquor Laws and what young people have said about the review

Law Commission's Review

Young people have had a significant input into the Law Commission's review of New Zealand's liquor laws. The Commission reported its findings to Parliament on 27 April 2010.

Young people's views on how to reduce alcohol abuse

MYD conducted targeted consultations with young people on the draft National Alcohol Action Plan in 2008. The results are summarised below.

A majority of the participants believed that nothing could be done to prevent young people from drinking "a lot" of alcohol. They expressed the fact that those who want to drink "a lot" will do just that, despite having been told about the harms and risks associated with such behaviour.  However, when asked "what other actions do you think would help", the most common suggestions were:

• harsher penalties for under-aged purchasing and drink driving
• the provision of more safe things for young people to do; many young people said they drank because there was "nothing else" for them to do - i.e. safe places to socialise day and night, more assistance to find jobs and apprenticeships, and better youth centres
• locking up liquor outlets after dark and selling liquor through a plastic shield with a gap underneath to help ensure the safety of the shop-keepers ("night payers")
• include pictorial health warnings on alcohol products, similar to those of tobacco health warnings
• make parents more responsible for their children's behaviour - i.e. fine parents if police find their children drunk on alcohol
• put the purchasing age back up to 21
• more advertising about alcohol related harms targeting young people and more positive advertising about staying sober
• a zero blood alcohol content level for all ages.

Young people's view on blood alcohol content for drivers

In August 2009, in the youth consultation on the Safer Journeys discussion document (developed by MYD), 60 per cent of young consultees supported the reduction of blood alcohol content (BAC) for drivers under 20; and 68 per cent supported the reduction of BAC for all adult drivers.

In the 2008 consultation on the National Alcohol Action Plan (NAAP) a majority of young people who took part in focus group discussions (facilitated by MYD) supported a zero blood alcohol content level for all ages.

In the last Youth Parliament in 2007, the youth Transport Select Committee supported the reduction of the BAC to zero for young drivers and for adult drivers