It is widely accepted that increasing the price of alcohol is one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce harmful use of alcohol. Yet, in New Zealand, alcohol is becoming more and more affordable.
In 2017, all alcohol, but especially wine, was more affordable than ever before.
Compared with 2012, the affordability of beer, spirits and liqueurs increased by around 10%. The affordability of wine increased even more sharply, by 20%.
It takes less time to earn enough to buy an averagely priced standard drink of beer, whiskey or cask wine from supermarkets or liquor stores in 2017 compared with 1999.
Wine sold in a cask is the most affordable type of alcohol. In 2017, it would take only 1.6 minutes of work to earn enough to buy the cheapest standard drink of cask wine. That means, it would take just under 10 minutes for an average worker to earn enough to buy six standard drinks of the cheapest cask wine – more than it is advised to drink on any single drinking occasion for either men or women.