Alcohol Harm Reduction

About This Project

BAF has collaborated with New Plymouth Injury Safe (NpIS), Taranaki District Health Board, ACC, Tui Ora and WITT to create the Taranaki Alcohol Harm Reduction Group (TAHRG). The group received funding from the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) to deliver a pilot programme that aims to work with the whanau and caregivers of intermediate children to raise awareness about the benefits of delaying consumption of alcohol.

Research now overwhelmingly asserts that the age at which someone starts drinking really does matter.  For example:

• The younger they are when they start to drink, the greater the chance that they will have alcohol-related problems or other substance abuse in adulthood.
• A study found that children who had sipped alcohol before they were 10 years old were almost twice as likely to be drinking by 15 years.

‘Many parents wanting to support their teens think that they can teach them to drink safely by giving them alcohol and watching over them. Although this is well-intended and commonly believed, many studies now show that parent approval of any level of drinking and parents supplying alcohol is linked to worse, not better outcomes’. 

TAHRG is working with five schools around the New Plymouth District raising awareness of the benefits of delaying alcohol. We are holding free events for the participating schools with well-known speaker Nigel Latta who will deliver the key messages to those attending. TAHRG will then work in facilitated focus groups with parents/caregivers to co-design support strategies and identify communication that would be useful for whanau to delay the onset of alcohol consumption to youth.

To find out more please contact: Corryn Pryce-Baxter, Programme Development Manager at programmes@baf.org.nz