Councillor tackles alcohol issues

BY PIERS FULLER - WAIRARAPA NEWS

In previous lives Masterton district councillor Jeff Workman has seen and heard first-hand the harm uncontrolled alcohol abuse can cause in the community.

As a publican in the late '70s and early '80s he remembers some pretty rough times.

And as a journalist earlier this decade he became aware of how much crime in Wairarapa is alcohol-fuelled.

"You go to those [police] conferences and every bloody crime you heard about, especially in the weekends, was alcohol driven, especially around the violence," he says.

He also points out that as much good work is behind the Stopping Violence campaign in Wairarapa, in his opinion they are not tackling one of the primary underlying catalysts.

"There was not enough done about the main driver, in my book: alcohol," he says.

He made a pledge to himself back then that if he was in a position to make a difference he would try and do something about it.

Mr Workman's position is an unenviable one.

He has untreatable cancer and is relying on sheer willpower now to beat it.

But he is not letting his own personal trials get in the way of the goals he wants to achieve on the council and within the community while he has time, Mr Workman says.

He is the driving force behind the Alcohol Strategy, a document which encompasses the three Wairarapa district councils and has one clear aim: creating an environment in which alcohol-related activities can be enjoyed with minimal risk of harm to the community.

It is the result of work between several agencies, including Te Hauora Runanga o Wairarapa, Ministry of Social Development, Wairarapa Road Safety Council, NZ Police, Wairarapa Addiction Services and NZ Hospitality Association.

Its long-term goal is to achieve a downward trend in all measures of alcohol-related harm in Wairarapa.

It aims to do this by increasing community awareness for the strategy and working to get a culture shift towards moderate and responsible use of alcohol.

The strategy also looks at increasing education and awareness, to reduce the supply of alcohol to under-18s.

Jeff is no party-pooper or prohibitionist. He enjoys a few pints and has nothing against responsible consumption of booze.

"I've arrived at the point where I am through all those experiences so you can actually talk with those experiences behind you," he says.

Increasingly easy access to alcohol for young people and the way New Zealand allows widespread promotion of alcohol supports its notorious binge drinking culture, he says.

The Masterton District Council is also making a submission to the Law Commission, calling for the Government to take a a tougher line on alcohol advertising and implement a tighter policy on the retail availability of alcohol in Wairarapa.

The council's submission advocates the government ban alcohol promotion, raise the age-limit for off-licence sales, increase pricing restrictions, raise an excise tax and restrict the type of outlets permitted to sell alcohol.

Alcohol research has repeatedly shown that the younger people start drinking heavily or using drugs, the more likely they are to have addiction problems later in life.

There are a raft of other damning facts that paint a bleak picture of the negative behaviour some New Zealanders get up to when they have been drinking.

These include the high proportion of crimes committed under the influence and the proportion of prison inmates who have addiction problems.

A draft of the council's submission to the Law Commission has been made available for public consultation.

A third prong in the attack on alcohol abuse in the community is Alcohol Accord, an initiative of co-operation between licensees, the police, Wairarapa Public Health and the district councils to set guidelines for the local industry.

It hopes to put the squeeze on some of the negative drunken behaviour that occurs in Wairarapa, especially in the early hours of the morning.

A local pub owner took a proactive stance, drafting the idea and approaching Mr Workman about the initiative.

Alcohol Accord's first meeting is set for next month.

Suggested policies include pubs closing their doors to new customers at a designated hour, while continuing to serve inside.

Another policy suggested for licensed premises would make anyone barred from one bar barred from them all.

National rules for employing qualified door staff would help curb bad behaviour at the end of the night, Mr Workman says.

"I take comfort in the fact that legislation is before central government right at the moment that door staff are going to have to be qualified and go through training courses. I personally think that is going to make a hell of a difference."