Media Release

Council Campaign to Reduce Youth Access to Alcohol

The Rodney District Council in partnership with the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand is running a campaign from December through to January 2006 to reduce youth access to alcohol in Rodney.

The campaign called ‘Think…consequences’ comprises two elements: educational and legislation enforcement.

The educational component is designed to target the parents of teenagers. The aim is to ensure that parents make the connection between supplying teens with alcohol and the potential harm and consequences that can arise from this behaviour.

The intention is not to blame parents, but rather to draw their attention to their responsibilities as parents. Listen out for radio adverts currently being played on Times FM re-enforcing the negative impacts that alcohol can have on young people. In addition look out for the poster campaign around Rodney.

Another component of the education programme will be a series of ‘shoulder tap’ operations conducted to ascertain the response from members of the public when asked to purchase alcohol for them by young people waiting outside liquor stores.

Any person agreeing to purchase alcohol for a young person under these circumstances will be ‘tapped on the shoulder’ and reminded of the law pertaining to the supply of alcohol to minors.

The legislative component of the campaign will be cantered around a series of Controlled Purchase Operations whereby the Council, in partnership with New Zealand Police and Auckland Regional Public Health Service, will test the owners and operators responses to young people attempting to purchase alcohol from liquor stores.

These operations will be taking place across the Rodney District and are part of an going council strategy to reduce youth access to alcohol in Rodney.

A survey conducted in 2002 and 2003 by the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand showed that the average of starting to drink in just over 13years old and that 88percentof 14-17year olds claimed that they had tried alcohol.

Some other statistics that parents may find interesting are;

23percent of all 14-17 year olds claim to have drunk five or more glasses of alcohol on their last drinking occasion

One in eight 14-17 year olds stated that they got into sexual situations they were unhappy with after drinking

One in eleven 14–17 year olds have been in trouble with the law because of drinking.

Rodney District Council has copies of an excellent publication produced by the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand entitled “Alcohol, your kids and you- A guide for parents’ available free of charge to anyone who would like more information on this subject and advice on positive strategies to address the issues of youth drinking.

For your free copy of “Alcohol, your kids and you- A guide for parents’ please contact t, Paul S. Green, Rodney District Council Safer Community Coordinator on 0800 426 5169 or e-mail pgreen@rodney.govt.nz.

ENDS

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