Mayoral media release

18 April 2012

Alcohol too easily available, survey shows

A survey of more than 1,000 Hutt Valley residents has thrown up some strong attitudes towards the availability of alcohol, with most respondents believing that easier access to alcohol is to blame for problems associated with drinking.

Late last year, Hutt City Council surveyed 1,065 Hutt City and Upper Hutt residents in order to understand local opinions around the availability of alcohol, drinking behaviours, liquor bans and the impacts of alcohol consumption.

Attitudes towards alcohol were common right across all communities.

Lower Hutt Mayor Ray Wallace says the results show there is a strong perception that drinking is a problem in the Hutt Valley, and that alcohol is too easily available.

“The survey has provided a valuable insight into community concerns about the sale and supply of alcohol across the city.

“This information will also be of assistance to council, police and other agencies responsibilities for monitoring and enforcement of regulations governing the sale and supply of alcohol.”

Some of the key findings from the survey include:

• A strong perception that drinking is a problem locally.

• The negative impacts of drinking are often associated with alcohol availability.

• Current laws and restrictions are insufficient.

• There are too many off-licenses and more restrictions on sales are needed.

Community boards and committees will now look to make recommendations to the council around aspects of the findings, including trading hours and location of services in their communities.

Visit www.huttcity.govt.nz to view the survey results.

ENDS

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE ALCOHOL SURVEY

There is a strong perception that drinking is a problem in the Hutt Valley

The survey results show that there is a strong feeling that drinking is a major problem in the Hutt Valley, that it will get worse if action is not taken, and that alcohol is too easily available. The negative impacts of drinking alcohol are most commonly associated with drinking in parks or other public places. Negative experiences of someone else’s drinking are quite common, and alcohol is considered to be a big part or main factor in numerous problems, especially anti-social behaviour and family/domestic violence.

The negative impacts of drinking are often associated with the availability of alcohol

Respondents to the survey felt that when it is easier to buy alcohol people drink more, and that there are more problems in areas where it is easier to buy alcohol.

Current laws and restrictions are not sufficient

One-quarter of respondents (25.6 per cent) thought current laws and restrictions on alcohol are good enough, while 70.4 per cent indicated that they were not good enough.

Too many off licences and need for greater restrictions on grocery stores

The survey results show a general feeling that there are too many off licenses. Two-thirds of respondents wanted greater restrictions on grocery stores selling alcohol.

Support for either greater or maintaining current restrictions on other premises

Similar proportions of respondents (43–49 per cent) wanted more restrictions than currently for supermarkets, pubs, bottle stores and sports clubs, as felt that current restrictions are adequate. Very few respondents wanted fewer restrictions on opening hours than current restrictions for any of the types of licensed premises.

Strong support for restrictions on locations

Respondents strongly supported restricting licensed premises from operating adjacent to or adjoining particular facilities, especially early childhood education centres and schools.

Perceptions of specific alcohol measures/controls were mixed

Respondents indicated support for one-way door restrictions; however, a number cautioned of possible negative impacts from preventing people from entering an ‘open’ premises. There was not a strong feeling that liquor bans were particularly effective in preventing people from drinking.

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