Booze for minors alarms

Dubby Henry

A crackdown on supplying booze to minors has cut the number of drinks under-18s are getting, but the amounts are still alarmingly high, the authors of a new study say.

The Massey University study shows friends are now supplying an average of 11 drinks to their mates aged under 18, compared to 13 drinks in 2013.

The drop follows a law change (Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012) which made it illegal to supply alcohol to under-18s without consent from a parent or guardian. It also required supply to be done responsibly, which could include supervising those drinking.

Senior researcher Dr Taisia Huckle, from Massey’s SHORE and Whariki Research Centre, said the change was positive but 11 drinks was still “far too high”.

More friends also said they supervised the minors while drinking, according to the study, which was funded by the Health Promotion Agency.

Two national general population surveys of drinkers were analysed before and after the law change, which came into effect on December 1, 2013.

The surveys asked social suppliers how much, how often and to which under-18s they supplied alcohol in 2013 and 2015.

They found 48 per cent were supplying drinks to their children and 28 per cent to other relatives. Twentytwo per cent gave drinks to their under-18 friends, down from 30 per cent before the law changed.