Media release: Councils encouraged to curb alcohol availability in new policy environment

Recent law changes mean councils across Aotearoa New Zealand have more freedom to introduce Local Alcohol Policies (LAPs) that reflect community calls for greater protection from high levels of alcohol availability and the associated harms, according to public health experts.

In a Briefing from the Public Health Communication Centre, Health Coalition Aotearoa alcohol expert panel co-chair Steve Randerson and co-authors examine the impact of the law changes and outline how LAPs can be developed effectively to make a difference.

Steve Randerson, a Research Officer from Massey University, says for more than a decade councils have in theory had the ability to develop LAPs that reflect the input of the whole community and reduce alcohol harm but in reality, extensive legal appeals from alcohol suppliers dominated the process. “The appeals resulted in many councils weakening or removing protections that communities had supported, long delays, and even the abandonment of some policies.”

“In 2023, the relevant Act was amended to remove the ability to appeal any element of a provisional LAP. In addition, Auckland successfully defended its LAP in the Supreme Court, which resulted in narrowing the grounds for appealing LAPs by judicial review,” he says. “This has paved the way for councils to develop LAPs that can reduce harm by limiting alcohol availability. The impact will now depend more on councils’ willingness to back their communities and the evidence, rather than the threat of legal action.”

Alcohol causes significant harm in New Zealand, costing the country an estimated $9.1 billion annually, with disproportionate effects on Māori, who are twice as likely to die from alcohol-related causes as non-Māori.

In the absence of meaningful national restrictions on alcohol availability, LAPs provide the only opportunity to introduce safer limits on supply. “We know that the most socio-economically deprived areas are at greater risk of harm from alcohol, yet they have three times as many off-premises outlets compared to the least deprived areas. Areas with a high Māori population have nearly 50% more outlets.  Meanwhile, the evidence is clear, reducing alcohol availability across broad areas reduces alcohol-related harm.”