ALAC | Strategies

Our Mission

To lead a change in New Zealand’s drinking culture

We will know we are on track when:

Moderation is encouraged and expected by everyone
Drunkenness is seen as socially unacceptable and its occurrence is significantly reduced
Whanau, hapu and iwi exercise rangatiratanga over oranga in their communities
Young people delay drinking until they are older
There is an active involvement of communities, families and whanau in the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related harm
There is compliance with the law, and responsible behaviour, by suppliers and providers of alcohol

ALAC will undertake this mission by:

sharing responsibility for changing the drinking culture – with individuals, communities, NGOs,
the liquor and hospitality industries, national and local government and their agencies
working to identify, implement and monitor programmes to meet the specific needs of Mäori, Pacific and young people
ensuring that those with established alcohol problems receive appropriate treatment putting in place programmes and support, with the help of others, that contribute to change, so that a new drinking culture can emerge
recognising our unique relationship with Mäori and ensuring our Treaty of Waitangi obligations are reflected in all we do
ensuring that people who are beginning to experience problems as a result of alcohol misuse are identified and assisted.

How we lead

Our key role is that of leadership... facilitating and effecting action by individuals, communities and people who can influence change in the drinking culture.

Authoritative... using our knowledge and expertise to effect understanding and change, and be supportive of our partners.

Challenging... taking informed, assertive stances and ensuring they are communicated well. Ensuring that the “big conversations” are had about issues relating to New Zealand’s drinking culture, within families, whänau, communities and organisations.

Dedicated... committed to making a difference to New Zealand’s drinking culture, through our own actions and our support of others.

Inspirational... providing a positive vision, and using our knowledge and expertise to bring others along with us.

Inclusive... being committed to strong, honest, productive relationships with a wide range of communities. Supportive of partners, consultative and facilitating engagement.

Informed... about the issues, the environment, the people in New Zealand.

Respectful... seeking advice on the most appropriate ways in which to engage with a wide range of cultures – respecting that there are many ways to engage with communities.

Non-judgemental... we do not point the finger. We accept that people will recognise and judge behaviour for themselves.

Strategic... we will assist with building sustainable community capability to support long-term solutions.

Mä te tika o te mahi i roto i te pono me te aroha

Ka eke ki ngä taumata o te ora

Integrity, honour and passion will ensure success

Priority populations, priority settings

We will continue to have a strong commitment to three groups who experience disproportionate alcohol-related harm compared with the rest of the population. They are:

Maori

Young people (aged 12 to 24)

Pacific peoples

We will use a participatory approach with these communities and with our partners over the next fi ve years. Our participatory approach will involve work with these groups to quantify and measure whether we are achieving the outcomes and changes that we all want. We recognise that gains for the priority populations will be achieved through changing the drinking culture of our whole society. So, at the same time as we focus on the three priority populations, we seek to address the issues of the wider population.

O le ala I le pule, le tautua

Leadership through service

Three-strand strategy – to change the drinking culture

Supply Control

The Supply Control range of strategies focus on achieving enforcement and compliance with the Sale of Liquor Act outcomes.

While enforcement alone cannot change New Zealander's risky drinking behaviours, it can reduce harm through effective enforcement and prosecutions in respect of sale and supply to minors and in the serving of intoxicated persons.

Supply Control also reduces harm through assisting license holders and their staff be aware of the provisions of the Sale of Liquor Act and supporting them with the information and training needed to assist them in complying with the relevant provisions of that Act, particularly sale to minors and sale to intoxicated persons. Additionally if license holders comply with the law then they will, to a degree, influence the environment of drinking and supply of alcohol in New Zealand.

Supply Control strategies play a key role in driving social change in the New Zealand drinking culture. Police, Territorial Local Authorities and Public Health Units lead this area of work supported by other agencies.

Demand Reduction

The Demand Reduction strategies focus on achieving culture change outcomes.

Supply Control strategies can influence culture and effectively delivered contribute to reducing alcohol-related harm. However they do not address the tolerance of and in some cases the desire for, intoxication that New Zealander's demonstrate in their drinking patterns.

Intoxication leads to acute harms including, but not limited to, road crash injuries, falls, drowning, poisoning, assault, self-inflicted injury and fetal alcohol syndrome and New Zealanders overall are not associating their drinking patterns with the harms that accrue to themselves, their families and their communities.

Marketing plays a key role in supporting and developing attitude, beliefs and behaviours that if supported by appropriate programmes and interventions in the community, will lead to sustained behaviour change and long-term harm reduction.

Marketing has the ability to achieve a broad reach particularly to those whose behaviour will not be altered by Supply Control strategies, or whose behaviour does not warrant Problem Limitation interventions. Marketing by itself will not change behaviour, but when added to the Supply Control and Problem Limitation strategies provide the leverage that secure behaviour changes.

ALAC acknowledges that some Demand Reduction strategies are currently undertaken through Ministry of Education and at a local level through Public Health Units.

Problem Limitation

The Problem Limitation strategies focus on support and assistance programmes to help dependent and hazardous drinkers reduce or stop their drinking and therefore reduce harm.

These strategies also play a key role in driving social change in the New Zealand drinking culture, by addressing the potential for chronic harm. As people's attention is drawn to the harms accruing from the misuse of alcohol they will seek assistance.

Programmes and providers must be able to respond to that need in a timely way for sustained change in the individual to be achieved. As individuals change for the better, they influence their communities' attitudes and behaviours.

ALAC recognises the need for continued work in Problem Limitation strategies. This work is led primarily through the Ministry of Health and District Health Boards. The Alcohol Drug Association of New Zealand (ADANZ) maintains a directory of treatment services . It is funded by ALAC to provide an online counselling service.