What are we trying to achieve with the 5+ solution?
Unfortunately, education campaigns alone and the hope that individuals will spontaneously begin to act with more self-responsibility have not been shown to be effective strategies. Effective regulation is needed to turn the tide of New Zealand’s harmful drinking culture. The 5+ Solution is a set of policy directives which are a real solution to the national alcohol crisis:
1. Marketing
End alcohol advertising and sponsorship, including use of digital platforms.
Add warnings of specific health harms to alcohol containers.
1. Te whakatairanga
Me mutu te whakatairanga me te tautāwhi i te waipiro, tae ana ki te whakamahinga o ngā pae matihiko.
Me āpiti ki ngā ipu waipiro he kōrero whakatūpato mō ngā pānga motuhake ki te hauora.
2. Price
Increase excise tax on alcohol to decrease affordability.
Introduce a minimum price per standard drink to eliminate ultra-cheap alcohol.
2. Te utu
Me whakapiki i te tāke whāiti ki te waipiro hei whakaheke i te tareka ā-utu.
Me whakauru he utu mōkito ki ia inu momo whānui hei whakahorohoro i ngā waipiro utu-iti inati.
3. Accessibility
Remove alcohol from supermarkets.
Reduce national maximum trading hours (10 am – 9 pm for takeaway alcohol, 10 am -1am for drinking at a bar).
Cap alcohol licence numbers.
3. Te āheitanga
Me tango te waipiro i ngā toa hokomaha.
Me heke te mōrahi o ngā haora hokohoko ā-motu (10 i te ata – 9 i te pō mō te waipiro hariatu, 10 i te ata – 1 i te ata mō te inu ki te pāparakāuta).
Me tepe te nama o ngā raihana waipiro.
4. Te pakeketanga hoko
Return the legal age of purchase to 20+ years
4. Te pakeketanga hoko
Me hoki te pakeketanga hoko ā-ture ki te 20+ tau
5. Drink driving
Reduce adult legal driving limit from 0.05 to 0.02.
Increase random breath testing.
PLUS: Increase treatment opportunities for heavy drinkers
5. Te taraiwa haurangi
Me heke te mōrahi taraiwa ā-ture mō te pakeke i te 0.05 ki te 0.02.
Me piki te nui o ngā whakamātautanga matapōkere o te hā.
WAIHOKI: Me nui ake ngā arawātea hei whiwhi rongoā mō te hunga kaha ki te inu
The 5+ Solution is a set of policy directives based on the internationally acclaimed, World Health Organisation sponsored, publication, “Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity” written by fifteen of the top alcohol and public health scientists in the world (Babor et al 2003). It has recently been further endorsed by a paper in the leading medical journal The Lancet (Anderson et al 2009).