Information on the history of alcohol in aotearoa new zealand

Why does adolescent drinking matter? (Ball, J,. et al, 2023).

“Alcohol is a significant contributor to health loss and health inequity in Aotearoa New Zealand, and hazardous drinking often begins in adolescence. Although many young people do not drink alcohol at all, those who do drink are particularly vulnerable to alcohol harms. For a number of reasons, young people experience more harm per drink than older age groups. Drinking alcohol at a young age can be a significant contributor to serious short- and long-term harms, such as injuries, mental and emotional distress, depression, suicidality, unwanted sex, and having performance at school affected. Some alcohol-related harms, such as negative impacts on brain development, are irreversible. There is evidence that alcohol intoxication at a young age puts people at greater risk of substance use disorders and mental health problems in adulthood. Therefore, preventing alcohol harm among adolescents is important”, (Ball, J., et al, 2023).

We'll start with some of the hītori (history) of alcohol in Aotearoa. He tāku whakaaro, get riri (angry). At the end of the day Māori and non-Māori alike have fought hard to address the harm alcohol has caused in our society.

For Māori, alcohol is a colonising tool, and we must acknowledge the long history of struggle by Tīpuna Māori (ancestors) to "avert alcohol harm on Māori ... right back to the 1800s" (Ratu, D., 2021).

Please note, the factsheets are to provide you with a bit of a background to our why in our mahi but we also want to stress, while there's some damning statistics, it's important to always consider the impact of colonisation and decolonising spaces around us.  Alcohol is said to be a tool of colonisation that Māori have resisted in many forms since its introduction. That's a whole wānanga in itself. We all have a role to play in reducing the harm of alcohol in our communities, as tangata whenua and as tangata tiriti which we see in action in our kaupapa on the daily.

Te Iwi Māori me te Inu waipiro: Te Iwi Māori me te Inu Waipiro: He Tuhituhinga Hitori.
https://www.ahw.org.nz/Portals/5/Resources/Documents-other/2017/MaoriAlcoholhistory.pdf

Ruru Parirau: Māori and alcohol.

MAI_Jrnl_2013_V2_iss2_3rd_a.indd

Wai 2624 - David Ratu claim in relation to the Sale and Supply of alcohol Act 2012
https://forms.justice.govt.nz/search/Documents/WT/wt_DOC_148205985/Wai.pdf

Wai 2575 Health and Services Outcomes Inquiry
Video presentations below.