In May 2025, over 100 stakeholders from the sector came together at an Alcohol and Mental Health Symposium hosted by our friends at Alcohol Healthwatch. The ‘Consensus Statement’ resulting from the symposium has recently been released.
Participants at the event included community-based organisations, Pasifika and kaupapa Māori organisations, mental health and addictions (MH&A) services, the police, government officials and people with lived experience.
We know that alcohol-related harm disproportionately impacts young people, Māori, Pacifika; those who are gender-diverse or on low incomes, and also people with disabilities – and we already knew from a Ministry of Health-commissioned study earlier this year that over half the cost of all alcohol-related harm in Aotearoa comes from FASD – $4.8 billion per annum.
A few other figures:
The alcohol industry actively targets youth and heavier drinkers – alcohol regulations exist to mitigate this, but a recent study ranked Aotearoa as the worst of 11 other high-income countries for effective alcohol control policies.
The Consensus Statement contains a raft of recommendations, but for FASD specifically, actions identified for urgent investment include prioritising an FASD prevalence study, a renewed focus on FASD prevention, research on appropriate MH&A support for people living with FASD or other neurodisabilities; referring to Te Tiriti o Waitangi for any alcohol legislation, and using strengths-based research involving people with FASD and other neurodisabilities.
FASD, homelessness and other forms of social disadvantage were specified by attendees at the symposium as having strong crossovers with mental health challenges, alcohol-related harm and contact with the justice system. To address this, the Statement advises, that government must "invest in a consistent national model of care for addiction services that increases addiction treatment and referral capacity (particularly in rural areas), and reduces ‘siloes’ between the health, social, and justice sectors."
The good news is that even small reductions in alcohol intake are linked to improved mental wellbeing. To achieve this reduction, proven strategies include regulating alcohol advertising, increasing alcohol excise tax, reducing trading hours for outlets, including cross-sector leadership within the government, and regulating the alcohol industry’s influence on policy.
A recent survey by Health Coalition Aotearoa and the Cancer Society found there was overwhelming public support for these interventions from the New Zealand public.
Read the Consensus Statement on Alcohol Healthwatch’s website here.
• Click here for Te Whatu Ora / Heath NZ's mental health and addiction services
• Click here for the NZ Drug Foundation's resources to assist parents / caregivers and schools to discuss alcohol and drug use with rangatahi / young people – their 'Did You Know' videos and posters are great.
• This recent (February 2025) UK video: 'The Impact of Alcohol on the Health System: Explained" (23 mins) shows, among other things, that quality alcohol treatment services can save lives and are cost-effective. For every £1 spent on treatment, the return is £3 in savings, rising to £26 over ten years.
