Media release: Faulty alcohol outlet data undermines efforts to reduce $9 billion annual harm

The Government’s only national database of alcohol outlets is riddled with errors missing more than 1,000 licensed venues and nearly 600 bottle stores and supermarkets, while overcounting outlets in some districts by up to 88% according to new analysis.

These findings by public health researchers and Alcohol Healthwatch are published in a new Briefing by the Public Health Communication Centre. 

When comparing with council records, the analysis shows the Alcohol Regulatory and Licensing Authority (ARLA) Register undercounted 13% of on-licences (1,097 bars, restaurants and clubs) and 15% of off-licences (587 outlets). In some districts almost no outlets were recorded, while others were heavily inflated.

Sarah Sneyd of Alcohol Healthwatch says the issue with the ARLA data is a simple one of ‘bad data in, bad data out’; that is, information provided by many councils is sporadic, out-of-date, and has missing fields, if it is even provided at all. 

“Accurate, up-to-date data is vital if we want to reduce alcohol harm,” says Ms Sneyd. “Right now, the database gives a misleading picture of alcohol availability, making it difficult to track trends, target resources, or support communities to influence licensing decisions.”

Alcohol is New Zealand’s most harmful drug, causing more deaths and disability among people aged 15–49 than any other behaviour, and costing society an estimated $9.1 billion each year. “Restricting the availability of alcohol is one of the most effective ways to reduce harm, so it’s vital that researchers and decision-makers have reliable information,” says Ms Sneyd.

The Briefing recommends improving the quality of the ARLA Register by:

• Improving enforcement of reporting by the Ministry of Justice
• Increasing licensing fees to provide resource to improve council reporting
• requiring councils to submit up-to-date annual snapshots, and
• improving address and licence detail quality.

Without these changes, the ARLA Register diminishes the ability to monitor alcohol availability and weakens New Zealand’s ability to respond to the country’s most costly drug.