Christmas float leaves bad taste

RIGHT?: Children mixed with alcohol promotion in Kerikeri in December.

Kerikeri New World is in the firing line from alcohol authorities after its Christmas parade float featured a beer brand promotion and carried children.

The float was an example of "gross social irresponsibility", says Alcohol Healthwatch director Rebecca Williams.

"Alcohol Healthwatch condemns the supermarket’s action as an abuse of children and of the store’s privilege to sell liquor."

Ms Williams says its actions illustrate how the system, allowing the alcohol industry to regulate its own behaviour, is a farce.

"Not only did New World elect to use the children and family event to promote alcohol it also chose to use children to do so. A self-regulatory code exists to ensure social responsibility when the industry markets alcohol and this was anything but."

She is calling on the government to adopt stricter government controls to ensure that children and young people are not exposed to alcohol marketing.

Ms Williams says using children to market alcohol can cause incredible social damage.

"Children and adolescents are the ones most at risk from alcohol advertising. There is no doubt that exposure to alcohol marketing results in earlier drinking and heavier drinking."

The Far North Alcohol Team has also criticised the promotion.

"Children promoting alcohol and giving away Tui products in a Christmas parade?"

New World’s Russ Wilkinson, who handed over to new owner David Hannan last month, has apologised for the float.

"I must take blame as I delegated the role of float organisation to a team of my people and, due to the many changes taking place in my world, I didn’t check what had been created.

"As the team didn’t get to organise themselves until the last moment, one of them was talking with the Tui representative who said he would put the Tui girls on the truck and they took this as an easy fix.

"They never came through with the girls and a number of the staff took their kids on the float as an alternative."

Mr Wilkinson says he was in Auckland on the day, arriving back in Kerikeri in time for the parade.

"I was awfully embarrassed when I saw it and knew it was well out of line. I was watching with friends and a child on my shoulders and had to apologise to them."

He said it was wrong morally and did not reflect the standard of numerous previous floats bearing the Kerikeri New World name.

Staff were well aware of his disappointment, he says.

"After 26 years I was and am extremely disappointed that my last Christmas parade was such a poor effort."