Drinking Age - Govt's Latest News Release

[scumdog]

Exactly - thats what I did as a teenager

But did you get out there at 15 and 16 and try getting into pubs all the time and then making a drunken dick of yourself openly in public like happens today??

Didn't happen when I was a teenager, if you got some booze and were under 21 (or 20 later on) you made damn sure you kept a low profile.

[Patrick]

Just drink WHILE you milk them...

WOT??? Straight off the teat???

[scumdog]

so by that theory, the default age is now 16?

Yup, and you get 17 year olds bleating "Why can't I get into the pub, I'll be 18 next year" WTF???

Last guy that tried that and was turned back by the doorman was pissed as a chook already and agro-as so got pepper-sprayed for his efforts, never heard of that kind of crap down here with the 20 drinking age.

Bloody Jenny "I've got no idea what I am talking about" Shipley and her 'cafe culture' drinking ideas, like THAT type of drinking was ever going to be dominant in New Zealand!! Pffft!

[Jeremy]

A more interesting question is why can't you go into a casino yet at 18? In Australia it's 18 [at least in some states, not sure about all].

Anyway raising the drinking age to 20 doesn't make any sense. Why not raise it to 25? Or 40? Or maybe 120? It's 18 because you can vote at 18, and if we ever get into a major war and conscription is invoked again you'll get called up at 18. What I'd much rather see is the driving limit decreased to half a standard drink for all age groups.

[Flatcap]

I'm not aware of any loopholes that allowed a sub 20 year old to legally purchase liquor.

As I recall (via my booze addled memory)

If you were 18 to 20 and
-with your spouse (over 20)
-with your parents
-eating a meal
-at an RSA

But I am prepared to be corrected

The eating a meal clause was key - in my student days the Student Union would charge $2 for a food voucher to enable "underage" drinkers to legally drink.

[scumdog]

A more interesting question is why can't you go into a casino yet at 18? In Australia it's 18 [at least in some states, not sure about all].

Anyway raising the drinking age to 20 doesn't make any sense. Why not raise it to 25? Or 40? Or maybe 120? It's 18 because you can vote at 18, and if we ever get into a major war and conscription is invoked again you'll get called up at 18. What I'd much rather see is the driving limit decreased to half a standard drink for all age groups.

What the hell has the age of being called up got to do with the drinking age?

It's one of the dumbest bits of non-logic yet "OH, if you're old enough to go to war you should be old enough to drink" WTF??

And the only link with the voting age is 'cos the politicians want the vote from 18 year olds so they dropped the drinking age to win votes from 18 year olds.

18 year olds mostly don't need called up, most volunteer 'cos they're dumb and have little idea of mortality, it's always 'somebody else' that is going to get killed.

Rant over until somebody else brings this crap up again.

[Skyryder]

The reason they have not and will not lower the drinking age is that no party wants to lose the youth vote.

National advocated a change (conscience vote) to the lowering of the age as a result of the Brewery's loss of market share to wine sales.

Skyryder

[Swoop]

A more interesting question is why can't you go into a casino yet at 18?

You can. It is called "the pub".
Pokie machines are the curse of society, and if you want to relly look at problem gamblers....

I have heard that the carpet around the pokie machines in the casinos, gets replaced every three months due to the patrons refusing to leave "their lucky machine" and go for a piss............

[BigTex]

Well speaking for someone who benefits from the law here... <--- 18

I enjoy being able to go into a pub and have a drink if I like. I think the average teen tho thinks they should drink until they can't stand which is a real problem. I rarely get "blasted" unless it's a special occasion and then I still don't make an ass of myself.

Should the drinking age be raised? I think so. Kids these days are just not responsible enough to handle it.

[oldrider]

I have just speed read the thread and don't see anything in there that surprises me but I would like you to know that what is happening today with the booze is exactly what happened in my day.
The only difference is, today there are more of them and their drinking is legal at 18 instead of 21.
I used to go into the pub and drink and get pissed and make a complete Joe of myself when I was 14 years old.
The one thing that does not happen today, that did happen back then, is the teaching of "personal and individual responsibility"!
I for one, on this subject, was a very slow learner but it is like Mrs Marsh's piece of chalk, "it does get in"!
These days they don't even start to teach the kids about responsibility, they just turn them loose and wring their hands in despair when the kids fuck up!
My opinion ,for what it's worth is, throw away the drinking age limit altogether (free up the police from that so they can concentrate on real laws) and start teaching our kids about life's true values, self respect, respect for others, action and consequence, personal responsibility and accountability.
Reward them appropriately when they get it right and reward them appropriately when they get it wrong!
Does "society" do that today? Not on your Nelly! It is not the "drinking age" that is the problem, it is the PC, do gooder driven, wacky, socialist state that we live in.
Give the responsibility for the children back to the parents and support the parents in how to raise "their" children lovingly and responsibly, without the state getting in the way.
I am not an advocate for the return of the cane, more for a return to an honourable society and advocate for teaching "personal responsibility".
There are occasions when the rod is the last and most appropriate resort, well in such cases bloodywell use it, at least the offender will show some respect for authority after the pain subsides.
I say that from experience too and a substantial amount of "deserved" pain.
I am a graduate "with honours" from the New Zealand College of Hard Knocks. John.

[Jeremy]

What the hell has the age of being called up got to do with the drinking age?

It's one of the dumbest bits of non-logic yet "OH, if you're old enough to go to war you should be old enough to drink" WTF??

And the only link with the voting age is 'cos the politicians want the vote from 18 year olds so they dropped the drinking age to win votes from 18 year olds.

18 year olds mostly don't need called up, most volunteer 'cos they're dumb and have little idea of mortality, it's always 'somebody else' that is going to get killed.

Rant over until somebody else brings this crap up again.

It's not that they need to be called up, it's that they can.
Someone who is 18 can go to war. [at 17 to memory] If they can be trusted to goto war, to vote, to drive, to be married, to sign a contract, buy a house. Then they must be suitable to choose if they want to buy alcohol.

[scumdog]

It's not that they need to be called up, it's that they can.
Someone who is 18 can go to war. [at 17 to memory] If they can be trusted to goto war, to vote, to drive, to be married, to sign a contract, buy a house. Then they must be suitable to choose if they want to buy alcohol.

'Trusted' is the crucial word, sadly a hell of a lot of 18 year olds do NOT have the maturity required despit the law saying they can do whatever.
After all, you can get married at 16 - but how many do and how many succeed??

And all the examples you quoted do NOT make it logical that drinking at 18 is automatically o.k., why MUST they 'suitable' to choose if they want to buy alcohol???

When the age of consent for hire-purchase was 20 there was not as many young ones getting into such financial grief, they had some time to get a job, get a bit of maturity.

What happens if the age for the things you mentioned was dropped by law to 15, would that naturally make them 'suitable' to choose???

[Jeremy]

In Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Germany and France it's 16. Switzerland it's 14 in parts. And I have no problem at all with all of those things being dropped to 15. Remove it completely, I don't mind.

The thing is the majority of the 18 years old do have the maturity to handle the responsibilities the law gives them. They must do otherwise there would be significantly less 19 year olds. If society is going to hell in a handbasket why does it still work?

See people only see the ones who are causing problems. You don't hear about the others. You never hear about the one who doesn't drink that gives his mates a lift back from the party. You never hear about the one who decides he's going to make the world a better place. And you certainly never hear about the one who's just being normal.

Because that doesn't sell newspapers. People want to read what confirms their views of the world.

Anyway ultimately it's about choice. If you want exceptional people you need to give people freedom to screw up. They have to be given the choice to buy alcohol and then choose to be responsible.

[Deano]

As I recall (via my booze addled memory)

If you were 18 to 20 and
-with your spouse (over 20)
-with your parents
-eating a meal
-at an RSA

But I am prepared to be corrected

The eating a meal clause was key - in my student days the Student Union would charge $2 for a food voucher to enable "underage" drinkers to legally drink.

Might have been before my time. I've been in the industry since 1998.The spouse one is correct, but that was to avoid a ridiculous situation where an 18 year old couldn't have a pub meal and a drink with their 20 year old spouse. Consumption is certainly allowed anywhere, at any age, providing you are with your parents.

I'm pretty sure eating a meal or being in an RSA didn't allow purchase if you were under 20. (not since 1998 anyway)

[Swoop]

I am a graduate "with honours" from the New Zealand College of Hard Knocks. John.

You have a QBE then.

Qualified By Experience....