New Stats NZ data shows that beer, wine and spirits consumption has declined to the lowest level since data was first collected and supports a cultural shift towards “mindful drinking”.
According to NielsenIQ (US), the rise in non-alcoholic sales can be attributed to the mindful drinking trend where consumers are aware of how much alcohol they are drinking and when they may be drinking too much.
“The consumer trend towards moderation is very real, with more focus on health and wellness”, says NZABC Executive Director, Virginia Nicholls.
“Beer, wine and spirits have responded to this trend by offering a wider range of low and no alcohol options. This innovation reflects our commitment to supporting responsible drinking.”
A poll of 1,000 New Zealanders in October 2024 found 55% (up from 49% in 2021) of respondents drank low-alcohol beverages at least some of the time, and some preferred low-alcohol beverages.
According to Stats NZ, New Zealand’s beer, wine and spirits consumption per head of population declined by 5% in the past year to 7.8 litres, which follows a 12% decline in 2022.
The Stats NZ beer, wine and spirits consumption per capita has also declined more than 30% since 1986.
Wine fell in the past year by 4.1% to 95 million litres, spirits 5.5% to 92 million litres and beer rose 5.4% to 296 million litres.
In addition to the volume of wine and beer produced in New Zealand, there was a total of 241 million litres of wine exported and 20 million litres of beer in 2024.
“We are seeing consumers drinking less and drinking better with the move to moderation as part of a balanced lifestyle”, says Nicholls.
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