The alcohol industry’s influence on public policy has again been exposed by unjustified cuts to the public health team focused on reducing harm from alcohol consumption.
Health NZ Te Whatu Ora is proposing to cut its specialist Alcohol Harm Prevention team by a third, reducing it from 15 to 10 roles. This includes axing the Māori and Pacific advisor roles. The team is funded solely by the alcohol levy which has brought in more money in the last year.
“You can’t reduce alcohol harm by cutting the alcohol harm reduction team – it’s that simple. The Government’s priorities are all wrong when we know excessive drinking continues to cause harm in communities,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.
“This smacks of the influence of the alcohol industry on public policy decisions. It’s telling that there is no good financial rationale for these decisions as the alcohol levy has not been cut. The policy rationale used by Health NZ has no basis.”
Staff have been told priorities have changed, and that over the next year they will not be working on social marketing campaigns or research with other work also scaled back.
“It makes no sense to end campaigns focused on responsible drinking; it’s a backward step which will have long term health consequences. Prevention is always cheaper than dealing with the aftermath – this will cost taxpayers and communities more in the long run.
“The Alcohol Harm Prevention team helped develop clever campaigns, which made a real impact in terms of encouraging people to drink less – targeting at risk groups like young drinkers.
“Reducing research means we’ll know less about what works to protect our communities.
“The Government should be valuing these experts in alcohol related harm and ensuring they have the resources needed to be effective.
“It seems the alcohol lobby is being listened to over public health experts.
“We will be raising our concerns about the lack of transparency and failure to consult with the agencies who deal directly with alcohol related harm like the Police and ED workers.
“This is just another in a long line of examples, from science to conservation, of the Government making cuts without thinking about the services that will be impacted.”
Background – alcohol levy and alcohol harm
The alcohol levy is a hypothecated tax – collected specifically to fund public health measures to reduce alcohol harm. The Government increased the levy last year, with the annual levy revenue rising from $11.5 million to $16.6 million.
A Ministry of Health report in 2024 from consultants NZIER estimated the annual cost from alcohol harm to be $9.1 billion, including health costs and lost productivity.
About PSA:
The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand’s largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.