Queenstown is the showpiece of New Zealand’s 100% Pure global advertising campaign, but I wonder how many tourists are shocked by the out of control drinking that takes place in New Zealand’s adventure capital every day?
Two people are employed every morning to clean the vomit from the streets in Queenstown – which has the most liberal drinking laws of any ski-resort town in the world. I wonder why these scenes aren’t played out with images of the Remarkables and Lake Wakatipu on the successful television advertisements?
I am sure people who love Queenstown and New Zealand’s many other iconic tourist attractions (like I do) feel obliged to protect and enhance New Zealand’s green, pure image.
New Zealanders spend over $85million a week on alcohol. The damage that is being done to communities is untold.
The Law Commission Report, Alcohol in our Lives, Curbing the Harm addresses all the factors that are contributing to the alcohol problem in our society and as Law Commission President Sir Geoffrey Palmer has advised, should not be cherry-picked.
A clear link has been made between higher crime and violence rates in areas with a larger density and proliferation of liquor outlets. The report states that limiting the availability of alcohol and increasing the price will see a reduction in crime.
However high-flying Justice Minister Simon Power has already ruled out a rise in excise tax.
Another major issue will be the recommendation to raise the alcohol purchase age back up to 20.
Whether this goes down to a conscience vote will be interesting. The evidence shows that since the drinking age was dropped to 18 in 1999, the onset of drinking has begun at a younger age so the debate on this one will be intense.
The feedback from the ethnic community is that they have serious doubts whether the government will act on the reports recommendations. The National-ACT government have been shambolic. Policies like “three strikes” and “boot camps” have let down a voting-public who genuinely believed what National and ACT campaigned for in 2008.
The feeling is that these policies are designed to position the National government to be seen as doing something meaningful, but in reality, they are delivering nothing.
Problem drinking affects all New Zealanders in some shape or form and if enacted properly this report will save the lives (alcohol contributes to 2.8 deaths a day in New Zealand) and improve the wellbeing of thousands of New Zealanders.
