Crackdown on excessive alcohol consumption at events

SOUTHLAND event organisers will be cracking down on excessive alcohol consumption over the holiday period.

A different approach would be taken towards providing alcohol at major events after work done by the Healthy Attitudes Towards Alcohol (Hata) committee over the past two years, Healthy Families engagement adviser Nathan Burdon said.

Hata was formed following a 2016 report which showed there was a strong focus on alcohol at events, rather than on experiencing the event itself.

Statistics attached to the report showed Southland had the ‘‘highest prevalence of hazardous drinking’’ of all the district health board areas.

Excessive drinking at organised events had been identified as a ‘‘major problem’’, but the committee was now ‘‘seeing the needle shift’’, Mr Burdon said.

‘‘Those event planners are actually really keen to go a step further and do whatever they can to make it safe.

‘‘Our events were just horrendous, so to have that event landscape change is really significant,’’ he said.

Events such as Christmas at the Races, Fight for Kids and the Te Anau Rodeo had ‘‘transformed’’ their approach to alcohol.

Providing transport to and from events, more hydration points and regular meetings with organisers, police and security during events were some of the main focuses.

Healthy Families

manager Jared Cappie said the holiday period was of particular concern, given the large numbers of people attending Christmas at the Races and workplace Christmas parties.

Various factors were contributing to the region’s ‘‘hazardous’’ drinking rates, he said.

‘‘It’s longheld traditions, it’s culture, it’s intergenerational, so it is very complex and it’s not going to be one agency or organisation to change this on it’s own — it’s about taking a multifaceted approached.’’