MPs keep cork on drinking age plans

Waikato politicians are concerned that by focusing on young drinkers in the upcoming vote on liquor laws other more serious factors will be missed.

The region's MPs were split over which way they would vote when the issue comes up in October but most of them say the country has a drinking problem which needs to be addressed.

Hunua MP Paul Hutchison said he was concerned that New Zealanders were drinking large quantities of alcohol but did not want the drinking age to be raised.

"There was over $5 billion spent on alcohol last year and so it is clear that we have gone over the top. We as nation have to come back to a more sensible and reasonable level of consumption.

"However, so long as an 18-year-old could be expected to be called up for military service my view is that they should not be prohibited from buying a drink, so I do not believe the age should be raised."

As a former obstetrician, Dr Hutchison said he was worried about the impact of drinking culture on unborn children and the social issues associated with heavy drinking.

Hamilton East MP David Bennett also favoured keeping the drinking age at 18.

"The change in the drinking age by itself will not necessarily solve the problem.

"It's a societal issue of our approach to drinking that we need to address rather than seeing the change of age as the solution."

The option of age splitting is being considered by Hamilton West MP Tim Macindoe as well as Labour MPs Nanaia Mahuta and Sue Moroney.

It would allow 18-year-olds to be served in bars but only 20-year-olds would able to purchase alcohol at off-license premises.

Ms Moroney said she had voted to increase the drinking age to 20 last year but was concerned about the repercussions of such a law-change.

"My main concern is the unsupervised access to alcohol of 18-year-olds who frequently associate with younger teenagers, giving them unsupervised access to alcohol. Therefore, I definitely want the off-licence age to increase to 20.

"However, I don't want the access to alcohol for 18-year-olds to be driven `underground', and I am keen to support 18-year-olds having the ability to purchase alcohol in a licensed and, therefore supervised environment."

Ms Mahuta said she was in the process of collecting more information.

Green Party List MP Catherine Delahunty wanted to see more evidence on the issue before she decided which way she would vote.

She said the Green Party caucus had not decided whether they would vote along a set line or whether a conscience vote would be employed.

Waikato MP Lindsay Tisch and King Country representative Shane Ardern wanted to canvas the opinion in their electorates before they made any decisions.

Coromandel MP Sandra Goudie did not return phone calls or emails sent by the Waikato Times.

- © Fairfax NZ News