• New whānau pack a hit in the Far North – a resource for parents and caregivers.
• One liquor store door closes, another may open – the Cannons Creek community rallies again to oppose extended opening hours in a local liquor store.
• Canterbury councils talk LAPs and DLCs  - a report on the regional meeting.
• Survey template to assist local alcohol planning is available on alcohol.org.nz
• Demystifying addiction through personal stories – a useful website on addiction.
• The HPA appoints new Southern Regional Manager – Gilbert Taurua.
• The Health Promotion Agency’s new addiction role.
• Smashed 'n Stoned training coming your way – dates to diary.
• HPA resource of the month – Guidelines for Conducting a Health Impact Assessment for Local Authority Planning.
• Details of three upcoming conferences.

If you have an article you’d like to submit to Ease Up (maximum word count 300 words) or if you would like to highlight an upcoming event, we’d love to hear from you so please email enquiries@healthpromotion.org.nz.

Barbara Seddon
Editor

A new resource offering parents and caregivers practical strategies to help limit teenagers’ drinking is sparking big interest in the Far North.

Launched this month by the Northland District Health Board (NDHB), the free, colourful ‘Whānau Pack’ booklet features images of people and places from throughout the district.

NDHB promotion advisor Dave Hookway says the booklet focuses on practical strategies and simple methods parents and caregivers can use to improve communication with their teens around alcohol use.

He says the booklet was developed by a cross-section of community and health agencies and topic experts, and was heavily influenced by evidence on parenting and data from the 2007 Youth survey on adolescent health.

“We focus on key topics such as time, boundaries, monitoring, communication and role-modeling, and highlight the role these key areas play in supporting positive parenting practices.”

Dave says the booklet highlights key reasons why parents should delay teenagers’ access to alcohol.

“When we looked into the research, we found of young people who started drinking by the age of 14, almost half went on to develop alcohol dependency problems compared with only one in 10 who didn’t drink alcohol until they were 21.

“We also know the brain continues to develop throughout the teenage years and into the early to mid-20s. For this reason, it’s important to delay and limit teens use of alcohol.”

Dave says people do better when they have limits and a safe, secure home in which to grow, and parents need encouragement and support to maintain their role as a parent, rather than trying to be their kids’ friend.

“The challenge for families,” he says, “is to remain connected while accommodating busy lives. It’s the quality of time you spend together that’s most important and while many parents think their kids want less involvement with them during their teenage years, this couldn’t be further from the truth.”

In demand by Northland agencies including Police and the Ministries of Social Development and Education, the booklet will be further developed and promoted over the coming year.

Copies are available through Northland schools, community and health organisations, NDHB centres, and Whānau Ora providers.

Finding out where Canterbury councils are at with planning new local alcohol policies (LAPs) and District Licensing Committees (DLCs) was behind an HPA-supported meeting in Christchurch last month.

The Sale and Supply of Alcohol Act 2012 provides for councils to develop both but, while LAPs are voluntary and without a timeframe mandate, the legislation requires DLCs to be set up by 18 December this year.

Meeting facilitator and HPA Local Government Manager (Alcohol), Cathy Bruce, says the full-day event included discussions on how Canterbury councils might work together to ensure a regional approach, and what possibilities existed to share resources.

Several Canterbury councils had asked if the HPA would support a regional meeting to provide the opportunity for their staff to discuss local issues.

“The HPA offered to support the event and provide an overview of what’s happening at a national level, but it was very much the councils’ day,” Cathy says.

About 45 attendees including staff from Timaru, Ashburton, Selwyn, Christchurch, Waimakariri, and Hurunui Councils, as well as representatives from Police, Public Health and Local Government New Zealand were at the meeting. Most attendees had licensing, regulatory, or policy backgrounds.

Topics canvassed included developing LAPs, specifically their generic structures and ways to ensure consistency, as well as discretionary conditions, timeframes and stakeholder and community engagement.

DLC-related issues covered appointing DLC members, collaborations between territorial authorities, and the application of new criteria from June this year.

The meeting resulted in a number of Canterbury councils which are currently developing LAPs, forming closer working relationships, Cathy says.

“There was also interest in exploring options for a consistent approach to selecting DLC members, as well as sharing lists between smaller councils,” she says.

For more information contact c.bruce@hpa.org.nz

A Cannons Creek liquor store heavily criticised by its local community will close at the end of April, but may immediately reopen with even longer hours.

In May of last year, Thirsty Liquor’s Cannons Creek outlet was the subject of 84 formal objections when it applied to the Liquor Licensing Authority (LLA) to renew its licence.

Objectors, including Police, cited the store’s association with drunkenness, violence, and litter as grounds for declining the store’s application. The LLA extended the store’s licence for a further 12 months only, and reduced its operating hours.

Matt Crawshaw, chairperson of the primary school across the road from the outlet, helped organise the objectors and says although the current store will close, the property’s owners had applied to reopen it and extend its hours.

However, a meeting of locals called at short notice this month attracted 60 people determined to oppose the move including parents of children at the school and other schools in the area, neighbours, and Regional Public Health representatives.

“The mood of the meeting was positive and we have reason to be optimistic and build on the work we’ve already done,” Matt says.

While the turnaround time for formal objection is tight, a lawyer has offered to represent and advise the group pro bono, and others at the meeting have committed to assisting anyone needing help filling out objection forms.

Porirua City Council is also currently consulting on its local alcohol policy, which could strengthen the community’s ability to have a say in the number, density and operating hours of premises.

Matt says while he feels reducing Thirsty Liquor’s hours over the last 10 months has made a significant difference to the neighbourhood, he remains concerned about the impact of a bottle store on the most vulnerable in the local community, including young people and those with addictions or health issues affected by alcohol.

Many territorial authorities (TAs) are currently planning the development of local alcohol policies (LAPs).

Under new legislation the process requires a minimum level of consultation in the development of a draft LAP.  The more the territorial authority knows about the views of residents the better and, to help with this consultation, the Health Promotion Agency (HPA) has created a template of a survey which territorial authority's can use. The template can be modified to suit the territorial authority and can be used to survey residents. 

The survey template, along with some guidance information, can be downloaded from :
www.alcohol.org.nz/legislation-policy/sale-and-supply-alcohol-act-2012/local-alcohol-policies

A new free online educational resource has been developed by health researchers from the University of Otago, Wellington to help people learn about addiction directly from those who have experienced it.

The resource is now available on the Ako Aotearoa website: www.akoaotearoa.ac.nz/communities/demystifying-addiction

For further information contact:
Rachel Tester
Department of Primary Health Care and General Practice
University of Otago, Wellington
Tel: (04) 918-6445
rachel.tester@otago.ac.nz
www.otago.ac.nz/wellington

Gilbert Taurua, the HPA Southern Manager

Sue Paton – the Health Promotion Agency’s new Principal Advisor Addictions.

The Health Promotion Agency is supporting and funding ABACUS to facilitate training workshops for Smashed 'n Stoned? over the coming weeks:

• Auckland – 27th & 28th May (RSVP 10th May)

• Auckland – 10th & 11th June (RSVP 17th May)

RSVP to Anne Jarosch at a.jarosch@hpa.org.nz or for further information contact Shirleyanne Brown, Northern Region Manager, Health Promotion Agency at s.brown@hpa.org.nz or (09) 916 0335.

Smashed 'n Stoned? is a resource for  professionals working with young people whose alcohol and/or drug use puts them at risk of alcohol related harm.

It is a small group programme produced by the HPA for 13-18 year olds whose alcohol and or other drug use puts them at risk.  The programme is based on the evidence-based Guided Self-Change model and comprises four books that are worked through with a professional over four sessions.  It is recommended for use with groups of three to six young people who are working with a trained facilitator.

Conference:
2013 Australian Winter School Conference: Limited Resources, Unlimited Ideas.

Organisers:
Australian Winter School.

Conference description:
An event for alcohol and drug workers and clinicians, showcasing new ideas, practices and treatment models, and examining emerging issues and developments in the sector.

When: 17 July – 19 July 2013.

Where: Brisbane, Australia.

Venue:
Novotel Brisbane, 200 Creek Street,
Brisbane, Australia.

Cost:
Full delegate registration:
Before 31 May: $A495.
After 1 June: $A595.

More information: www.winterschool.info

Conference:
International Conference for the 20th anniversary of the Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction: Future Challenges for Addiction Research.

Organisers:
ISGF Swiss Institute for Addiction and Health Research.

Conference description:
This Conference aims to examine current challenges and the place of research in future policy development.

When: 9 Sept – 10 Sept 2013.

Where: Switzerland.

Venue:
Universität Zürich Zentrum
Rämistrasse 71, Hörsaal KO2-F-180
Zurich, Switzerland.

Cost: TBC

More information: www.isgf.ch

Conference:
Complexity: Researching alcohol and other drugs in a multiple world.

Organisers:
Includes: The Centre for Alcohol and Drug Research, Aarhus University, Denmark; The National Drug Research Institute, Curtin University, Australia; The Centre for Population Health, Burnet Institute, Australia.

Conference description:
A forum exploring issues of complexity in alcohol and other drug research. It welcomes research based on quantitative and qualitative methods, and encourages innovative use of methods, concepts and theoretical approaches.

When: 21 Aug – 23 Aug 2013.

Where: Denmark.

Venue: Aarhus University Campus, Bartholins Allé 10, building 1324, auditorium 025, Aarhus C, Denmark.

Cost:
OTE: Registration deadline: 26 July 2013.
Early bird by 31 May: €275; then  €350.
PhD students: €150.

More information: psy.au.dk/en/research/research-centres-and-units/centre-for-alcohol-and-drug-research/research/conferences/contemporary-drug-problems