91¶¶Òù

IBISWorld forecasts per capita alcohol consumption to edge downwards by 1.1% in 2026-27, to 7.16 litres per capita. Increasing health consciousness is expected to drive down alcohol consumption this year, particularly among younger generations. Many people, regardless of age, are prioritising fitness in their lives, incentivising them to choose beverages with lower alcohol content or even zero-alcohol alternatives. Compounding the health-consciousness-driven decline is the financial burden that alcohol contributes, influenced by the alcohol excise tax, which affects both domestically crafted and imported alcoholic beverages like beer, wine and spirits. The alcohol excise tax climbs year on year, although its growth rate has slowed in recent years. 2023 saw a 6.7% hike in the excise levy, which fell to 4.1% in 2024 and is now in line with CPI, rising 2.5% on July 1st 2025 and 3.07% on July 1st 2026. In 2022, the Central Government (Te Kawanatanga o Aotearoa) also introduced an additional levy called the New Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Levy, which aims to minimise alcohol-related harm and thereby cut down on healthcare expenses.Beer is the most consumed alcoholic beverage in New Zealand, with a per capita consumption of 2.7 litres of pure alcohol in 2025-26 (latest data available). Despite being the beverage of choice for New Zealand drinkers, annual per capita beer consumption has been falling over the last decade, down 16.8% compared to 2016. Wine has fallen by the most substantial rate of all alcohol types over the same period, down 30.2% to a total of 2.1 litres of pure alcohol in 2025-26. Spirit consumption has been falling as well, as spirits with more than 23% alcohol by volume have receded in popularity by 22.1% in the past five years alone.A significant factor in the contraction of beer and wine consumption has been the change to the drink-driving laws in 2014. The Land Transport Amendment Act (No. 2), enacted in December 2014, lowered the breath alcohol limit for drivers over 20 from 400 micrograms (mcg) per litre of breath to 250mcg. This legislative change discouraged many consumers from drinking out at pubs and bars, which are common locations for beer and wine consumption. Overall, IBISWorld forecasts per capita alcohol consumption to retreat at a compound annual rate of 4.0% over the five years through 2026-27.