Henare Tau: Alcohol Reform Bill — In Committee 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Henare Tau: Alcohol Reform Bill — In Committee 
[Sitting date: 30 August 2012. Volume:683;Page:5001. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
Hon TAU HENARE (National) 
: 
 Back when we changed the law on the purchase of alcohol from 20 years to 18 years I voted to have the law stay at 20 but was quite happy to have the law whatever it was. I have one thing and one thing to say: lay off the young people. Lay off young people and telling young people what to do as if this problem is about only young people. The figures that have been released by various organisations have said that binge drinking is actually not about young people; it is about all of New Zealand. It is about older people. I have talked to nurses and doctors in hospitals up and down this country and they have said to check out Friday night and Thursday night and see who comes in. It is not the young people who are coming in. It is the older people who are coming in all drunk and untidy with bruises on their faces and crusted spew all over the place. It is the older people. 
My message to this Committee is—and I take the point of the last speaker Denis O’Rourke—that we expect young people to toddle off to the polling booth every 3 years be responsible and choose a Government for the next 3 years. We expect young people if they want to to join the army and go across the world to defend whatever we say. We expect them to do a whole lot of things at 18. But they cannot have a beer? Give me a break—give me a break! It sounds like the debate about civil unions and marriages all over again—it does. 
The issue in this Alcohol Reform Bill of 20 years and the split age is nothing but a cop-out. In fact the split age is nothing but a cop-out. It is either 18 or it is not but you cannot have it both ways. And I say on behalf of all those people who are 18 are 19 or are just shy of 20 you can go into a pub you can buy your beer wine or spirits and you can partake of the very stuff—the very nectar of life—that everybody else can. 
Hon Lianne Dalziel 
: Nectar of life? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Yes it is—absolutely. Well some of the members should know better. This is what it is about. Why should we every 10 years or so change the law upwards or down? Who is it that suffers? It is the young people. We should stop right now blaming young people for the problems of this country. It is not their fault—it is not their fault. 
Mike Sabin 
: It’s not about blame. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Pardon me? 
Tim Macindoe 
: It’s all about blame. 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: Oh here we go—here we go. That is what you see. They cannot sit nicely like the Opposition! They just cannot do it. I want to thank the Opposition members for sitting in their chairs in their seats and acting like nice people. It should be 18. Why punish young people when it is a problem— 
Mike Sabin 
: Oh it’s about blame and punish now? 
Hon TAU HENARE 
: That is why it is a problem because even my own colleagues will not give me the respect that I deserve to have my 5-minute say. That is the reason. That is one of the reasons why we have such a problem in our communities. This is a serious matter and I am here to say: keep it at 18. I am here to defend the rights of those young people especially when older people in this Chamber—and especially when even my own colleagues will not give me the respect that I deserve. Here is a warning: if they think they are going to get a cool ride this afternoon they have got another think coming.