Mindful Drinking Reflected In The Stats NZ Beer, Wine And Spirits Consumption Which Is At An All-time Low

The recent Stats NZ* beer, wine and spirits consumption has declined to the lowest level since data was first collected and supports a seismic cultural shift towards “mindful drinking”.

NielsenIQ** (US) attributed the rise in non-alcoholic sales to the mindful drinking trend. To be a mindful drinker, you must be aware of how much alcohol you are consuming and when you may be consuming too much.

“The consumer trend towards moderation is very real, with more focus on health and wellness”, said NZABC executive director Virginia Nicholls.

“Beer, wine and spirits have responded to this trend by offering a wider range of low and no alcohol options. This innovation reflects our commitment to supporting responsible drinking”, said Virginia.”

A poll of 1,000 New Zealanders in October 2024*** found 55% (up from 49% in 2021) of respondents drinking low-alcohol beverages at least some of the time, and some of us prefer low alcohol beverages.

According to Stats NZ our beer, wine and spirits consumption per head of population****/***** is at an all-time low declining in the past year by 5% to 7.8 litres which follows a 12% decline in 2022.

The Stats NZ beer, wine and spirits consumption per capita has also declined more than 30% since 1986******.

Breaking this down wine fell in the past year by 4.1% to 95 million litres, spirits 5.5% to 92 million litres and beer rose 5.4% to 296 million litres.

In addition to the volume of wine and beer produced in NZ, there was a total of 241 million litres of wine exported and 20 million litres of beer in 2024.

“We are seeing consumers drinking less and drinking better with the move to moderation as part of a balanced lifestyle”, said Virginia.

The NZ Health survey******* provides information on New Zealander’s health and wellbeing shows that 83.4% of NZ adults (more than four out of five of us) are drinking beer, wine and spirits responsibly. This is an increase of 4.7 percentage points over the past four years (78.7% 2019/20).

Hazardous drinking******** or harmful alcohol consumption among adults over the past four years has declined to 16.6% (21.3% 2019/20).

The volume of beer, wine and spirits standard drinks********* per person aged 18 years and over, fell 4.9% to 1.77 standard drinks per person per day.

This indicates that most consumers are drinking within the Health NZs low-risk drinking advice. For women this is drinking no more than two standard drinks a day, and three standard drinks a day for men, with at least two alcohol free days each week. A standard drink contains 10 grams of alcohol.

*Stats NZ: Total NZ population 15 years and over total alcohol available for consumption (per head of population), year-end December 2023 (8.183 litres), and December 2024 (7.773 litres), accessed 26 February 2025: Alcohol available for consumption: Year ended December 2024 | Stats NZ

**Non-Alcohol: A Mindful Moderator in the US - NIQ, accessed 4 March 25

***Curia Market Research, 1,000 participants, October 2024

****Stats NZ: Total NZ population 15 years and over total alcohol available for consumption (per head of population), year-end December 2023 (8.183 litres), and December 2024 (7.773 litres), accessed 26 February 2025: Alcohol available for consumption: Year ended December 2024 | Stats NZ

*****Beer, wine and spirits alcohol by volume: Table wine has an alcohol content up to 14%, fortified wine greater than 14% and spirits based drinks contain up to 23% (such as RTDs), and spirits containing more than 23% alcohol, such as vodka, gin and whiskey. Beer is between 2.5% – and 4.35%, between 4.35% and 5% and above 5%.

******Stats NZ: Total NZ population 15 years and over alcohol available for consumption (per head of population). December 1986 (11.282 litres) and December 2024 (7.773 litres). Browse - Infoshare - Statistics New Zealand (stats.govt.nz)

*******New Zealand Health Survey | Ministry of Health NZ, accessed 19 November 2024

********NZ Health Survey 2024: Hazardous drinking among the total population. Hazardous drinking refers to a score of 8 or more on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), which suggests hazardous or harmful alcohol consumption.

*********Stats NZ: December 2024: Browse - Infoshare - Statistics New Zealand (stats.govt.nz)

© Scoop Media