When your teen will be allowed to drink alcohol is one of the many decisions that you as a parent have to make. The law in New Zealand states that there is no legal alcohol drinking age, only a legal purchase age of 18 years.

The research recommends that it is safest to delay teen drinking until at least 18 years of age. More than half of teens between 15 and 17 years in New Zealand don’t drink alcohol at all, but ball season is often a time when teens will ask their parents whether they are allowed to do so.

Some parents don’t want their teens to drink alcohol until the legal purchase age of 18, others want to introduce their teens to alcohol earlier with the intent of teaching their kids to drink responsibly. It is up to parents to decide, however the law does require that any alcohol is supplied in a responsible manner and that consent is obtained from parents or legal guardians.

Attached or below are 3 resources that local parents helped create to aid parents regarding their teens and alcohol.

1. Legal info

2. Express consent (PDF & Word versions)

3. Party questions