Alcohol Strategy Award for NPDC

The 'Joined-Up Local Government' award, presented annually by the society of Local Government Managers (SOLGM), recognises local authorities who have joined forces with other agencies in project for the benefit of their communities.

New Plymouth District Council entered its groundbreaking District Alcohol Strategy into this year’s awards and took the big prize at SOLGM’s annual conference in Palmerston North.

While the idea of a strategy to minimise alcohol-related harm is not innovative in itself, the relationship management and ownership of the New Plymouth project certainly stood out for the award judges.

NPDC’s Louise Tester, who coordinated the strategy on behalf of a wide range of local organisations, said: “The strategy addresses alcohol use in public spaces - where a liquor licence is required - and private non-licensed environments.”

“Already the strategy has contributed to some meaningful results such as the launch of a one-way door policy, which begins after 2am in our CBD bars at weekends.

“The strategy, and the collective buy-in from our partners, have also triggered many other initiatives that will have a positive impact on alcohol harm in our community.

“It just shows what can be achieved when you bring together a group of like-minded organisations and get them collaborating towards a common goal.”

The New Plymouth District Alcohol Strategy was produced for three main reasons:

• The council has a duty to promote the social, economic, environmental and cultural wellbeing of the New Plymouth district, now and in the future (as set out in the 2002 Local Government Act). 
• The need to respond to known social and environmental effects and harms in the community resulting from alcohol misuse.
• Requests from both the police and Taranaki District Health Board to develop a response to alcohol harms in the community.

“That was our rationale,” said Louise “and the next step was to gather the relevant groups who could add value in putting the strategy together.”

The council’s key partners were the Taranaki District Health Board, New Plymouth Police, Ministry of Social Development, ACC and New Plymouth injury Safe while help was also provided by local licensees, Sport Taranaki and their affiliate sport codes, Tui Ora (Maori health provider), addiction support services (community- and health board-based), family and community providers, and youth health and support services.

The partners recognised that developing a local alcohol strategy would deliver numerous benefits, not least the demonstration of visible community leadership on the issue and a collective message that alcohol misuse and its associated harms are not desirable in the New Plymouth district.

“We also realised that we could raise awareness of the social and community impacts of alcohol that go beyond an individual’s choices about drinking, as well as triggering flow-on community actions to reduce alcohol harm,” said Louise.

“We got people really thinking about alcohol misuse and how they could make a difference in their own lives, and those of their friends or relatives.

“Now we have the strategy in place it’s all about maintaining our momentum and keeping people focussed on the issue of alcohol misuse. There’s so much we can do and as with most things we’ll get better results if we team up with others and target our objectives together.”  

The District Alcohol Strategy is one of five addressing harms in the New Plymouth community. NPDC has also collaborated with local organisations to produce strategies for injury prevention, road safety, crime prevention and family violence. All five will eventually come under a single holistic umbrella addressing community safety.

You can view the article in ALAC's December issue of alcohol.org.nz, page 14-15.