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December 01, 2022
Booze ads stripped from Auckland bottle-os
Peter Verschaffelt
Posted On December 1, 2022
Download AudioNew local rules kicked in today kicking alcohol product advertising off the front of bottle stores across Tāmaki Makaurau.
Alcohol Health Watch executive director Nikki Jackson says it’s the result of huge community effort over many years.
She says the Auckland District Licensing Committee listened to communities, particularly in South Auckland, who showed they were being targeted by the booze industry.
It’s good news for tamariki and rangatahi Maori, who are over-exposed to ads normalising alcohol, and also for people with alcohol use disorders.
“That kind of advertising really triggers and provides cues to drink and can stifle recovery and staying in treatment,” Dr Jackson says.
Alcohol advertising billboards can also be blocked because they need resource consent, which is subject to its Treaty of Waitangi considerations.
She says Auckland is leading the country in sending a signal to other alcohol retailers such as pubs, bars and supermarkets to look at their advertising – including sports sponsorship – because alcohol a harmful psychiatric drug rather than an ordinary retail product.
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