How old do you need to be to drink in New Zealand?
Alcohol in New Zealand
Alcohol has been consumed in New Zealand since the arrival of European settlers. The most popular alcoholic beverages are beer and wine. New Zealand has no minimum consumption age for alcohol, however the minimum purchase age is 18.[1]
Alcohol in New Zealand
There is no oral tradition or archaeological evidence of Māori brewing beer before the arrival of Europeans. Major ingredients of beer were not introduced to New Zealand until Europeans arrived in the late-18th century. Captain James Cook brewed a beer flavoured with local spruce tree needles while visiting New Zealand in 1773 in order to combat scurvy aboard ship.[2] He brewed the beer while anchored in Ship Cove in the outer reaches of Queen Charlotte Sound in January 1770. Here he experimented with the use of young rimu branches as a treatment against scurvy. It was brewed on Saturday 27 March 1773 on Resolution Island, in Dusky Sound, Fiordland. The beer was brewed using wort with the addition of molasses and rimu bark and leaves. James Cook wrote: