Research Publications

ALAC's research publications can be found below. The search tool can be used to search the publications by date or keyword.

Alcohol-related injury: An evidence-based literature review

This review focuses on research that considers the role of alcohol in causing injury and the effectiveness of educational and environmental strategies in preventing alcohol-related injury. It should be read in the context of other research on the effectiveness of policies and interventions directed at alcohol-related harm generally, including taxation, regulations, enforcement, and the development of effective treatment services.

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City Report No. 1 - A review of the international academic literature and New Zealand media reports

There has been significant recent debate over the impacts of liquor outlets on communities in New Zealand. This report reviews two sides to the published debate on the impacts of liquor outlets: the international academic literature and New Zealand media reports. The level of concern about the issue of liquor outlet density is clear from the media review as well as discussions with stakeholders in the community.

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City - Report No. 1 (PDF 371 KB)

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City Summary Report - Revised

There has been significant recent debate over the impact of liquor outlets on communities in New Zealand. This report summarises the key results from a research project undertaken between 2008 and 2011. Media analysis and research with community stakeholders confirm that the issue is a focus of concern among communities in New Zealand. In Manukau City, off-licence liquor outlets tend to be located in areas of high social deprivation and high population density, while on-licence liquor outlets tend to be located in main centres and areas of high amenity value.

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City Summary Report - revised (PDF 532 KB)

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City Report No. 4 - Spatial econometric analysis of selected impacts of liquor outlet density in Manukau City

This paper employs a spatial seemingly unrelated regression approach to investigate the crosssectional association between density of liquor outlets in Manukau City (as at 31 January 2009) and a range of alcohol-related harms such as police events and motor vehicle accidents in the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009.

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City Report No 4 (PDF 618 KB)

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City Report No. 2 - Community stakeholder views on the impacts of liquor outlets in Manukau City

Recent substantial increases in the number of liquor outlets have been matched by an escalation in community concern about alcohol-related harm. This report presents the results of an extensive community consultation on the impacts of liquor outlets in Manukau City. There was general agreement that alcohol-related harm was mediated by location, the type of outlet from which alcohol was purchased, and general socioeconomic context.

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City - Report No. 2 (PDF 464 KB)

The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City Report No. 3 - The spatial and other characteristics of liquor outlets in Manukau City

This report describes the spatial and other characteristics of liquor outlets in the Manukau City area in January 2009. These characteristics are important in terms of their effects on the availability of alcohol. Several key results were found relating to the characteristics of alcohol sales. First, onlicence outlets are most dense in areas with good transport links, such as town centres, and in areas with high amenity value. Second, off-licence outlet density is positively related to population density and to relative deprivation.

(PDF 2.55 MB)

Cost Savings of Brief Alcohol interventions in Primary Health Care

Sapere Research Group was commissioned by ALAC to estimate the short-term health care cost savings from the use of alcohol brief interventions (BIs) in general practice and emergency departments (EDs). The study has two main components: a literature review of existing research; and the development of a model to estimate the short-term cost savings.

Cost Savings of Brief Alcohol Interventions (PDF 385 KB)

Alcohol Use and Māori Young People

This fact sheet presents findings about alcohol use among young Māori attending secondary schools in New Zealand.

Alcohol use and Maori Young People (PDF 292 KB)

Survey of off-licence premises in North Shore/Hibiscus Coast: analysis of survey data

(August 2011)

A survey of off-licence premises in the North Shore City Council (NSCC) region and Hibiscus Coast (within Rodney District Council [RDC] boundaries) took place in 2009/2010. The survey attempted to include all off-licence premises in the area with the exclusion of supermarkets.

(PDF 3.11 MB)

Think Drink: Buying them alcohol doesn't buy them a good time - Impact evaluation

(April 2011)
Impact evaluation of the Think Drink Campaign 2009-10 which ran in Counties Manukau over a nine-month period between May 2009 and March 2010.

(PDF 172 KB)

ALAC Alcohol Monitor 2009-10

(Feb 2011)
This report updates the previous drinking behaviours reports produced for ALAC covering the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 periods. The 2008-09 year saw a change in ALAC’s monitoring programme, with a shift from quarterly monitors of youth12-24 years of age. and adults to a single annual survey for each of these groups.1 As was the case in 2008-09, the 2009-10 annual survey was completed between November and December 2009, although the interviewing for previous years was completed on a continuous basis throughout the years in question.

(PDF 500 KB)

Far North Co-location Project Evaluation Indicator Framework

(September 2010)
Excerpts from the draft Far North Co-location Project midpoint evaluation.

(PDF 806 KB)

An Evaluation of Moana House Residential Therapeutic Community

(August 2010)
An evaluation to assess the impact of participation in the Downie Stewart Foundation Programme, Moana House, on the functioning and changes of its residents.

(PDF 1.67 MB)

National Alcohol Accords Stocktake

(August 2010)
This report collates information from the initial Phase 1 draft report compiled by Barry MaDonald and Paul Tweed, Canterbury District Health Board - Community and Public Health.

This report makes recommendations to the Alcohol Accords Working Group (AAWG) that will inform future planning considerations for accords across New Zealand.

(PDF 332 KB)

Takataapui, Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Scoping Exercise

(March 2010)
A scoping report to help inform ALAC's consideration of its role in the reduction of alcohol-related harm in Takatâpui, Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual communities.

(PDF 595 KB)

Far North Area Alcohol Accords Final Evaluation

(March 2010)
An evaluation to describe and analyse the four Far North alcohol accords, and document why the accord initiative was set up, how the accords were established and implemented.

(PDF 1.09 MB)

Representatives from Agencies addressing Drug and Alcohol issues Regionally Report

(February 2010)
The purpose of this research is to provide ALAC and partner agencies with information to support their decisions on “RADAR” – an initiative in which Northland agencies collaborate to address issues of alcohol and other drugs in the region.

(PDF 5.73 MB)

ALAC Alcohol Monitor 2008-09

(December 2009)
This report updates the previous drinking behaviours report produced for ALAC covering the 2005-06, 2006-07, and 2007-08 periods. The 2008-09 year saw a change in ALAC's monitoring programme, with a shift from quarterly monitors of youth12-24 years of age. and adults to a single survey (conducted in November 2008) for each of these groups. Therefore, while the reports for previous years are based on amalgamated results from quarterly monitors, this 2008-09 report is based on one point-in-time measure.

(PDF 1.24 MB)

Pearls Unlimited

(November 2009)
A resource that collates the available literature and information on Pacific peoples and alcohol in New Zealand. - A concise literature review that collates and synthesises major research on Pacific peoples and alcohol in New Zealand. - A descriptive review of ALAC's Pacific work

(PDF 1.94 MB)

Le Ala Alcohol Community Interventions and Services for Pacific Peoples - Final Report

(June 2009)
This report, Searching for Pacifi c Solutions – a Community-Based Intervention Project to Minimise Harm from Alcohol Use, is the third of the suite and focuses on the ‘intervention’ (story-telling). It includes recommendations for future work and possibilities, and provides an evaluation of the intervention, which was undertaken by Dr Bev James and Dr Diane Mara (2008). The evaluation aims to give the project credibility in an ‘evidence-based’ world and documents the efficacy and effectiveness of some of its processes and procedures.

(PDF 1.34 MB)