The recent liquor law reforms of New Zealand’s government aim to restrict the amount of underage drinking and dispose of the country’s underage drinking culture. However, the changes to New Zealand’s laws reportedly punish the wrong individuals, forbidding dairy and convenience stores from obtaining the proper license to sell alcohol, while still allowing local supermarkets to obtain said license. Read more at Alcohol Clampdown Unfairly Targets Dairies, Owners Say. (See discussion at Do New Alcohol Laws Effectively Target New Zealand’s Drinking Culture.)
Additionally, the government announced they would tighten the country’s current liquor laws pertaining to individuals under the age of 18. These proposals follow the release of the Law Commission’s Report Alcohol in Our Lives: Curbing the Harm last April. The country’s current legislation allows for adults to serve alcohol to underage individuals at social gatherings, regardless of the consent or presence of said individual’s parent. The proposed legislation aims to abandon the serving of alcohol to underage individuals unless said individual’s parent is present or gives consent. Although the proposals have the objective of eliminating an underage drinking culture, critics maintain that these laws will not be effective enough to obtain the desired objective. Read more at New Zealand to Tighten Liquor Laws.
DISCLAIMER: This blog post is not intended as legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship results. Please consult your own attorney for legal advice.