A health advocacy group wants New Zealand sports to wean themselves off sponsorship deals with alcohol brands.
Alcohol Healthwatch believes the Speight's branding on Highlanders' jerseys breached the code for advertising and promotion of alcohol. Photo: © Photosport Ltd 2021
Alcohol Healthwatch has made a formal complaint to the Advertising Standards Authority about how the Highlanders display their Speight's branding.
The Highlanders this year announced they would be known as the Speight's Highlanders and the brand would take pride of place on their jerseys.
Alcohol Healthwatch executive director Dr Nicki Jackson the Speight's branding on Highlanders' jerseys breached the code for advertising and promotion of alcohol, especially around their young fan base.
"We're seeing branded Speight's-wear at community training games, at signings after matches, going to schools and handing out porridge. These players for clubs should be aware that they should have a clean kit. They should be going into these community settings free of alcohol branding," she said.
Under the code, a sponsor's name, brand or logo should only be shown briefly or in a subordinate way.
Jackson wanted to see more clarity over the code, saying it was often vague.
The Advertising Standards Authority confirmed it had received the complaint, but would not say how long it would take before a decision was made.
Jackson called for an end to alcohol companies dominating advertising in sports, and said that without change, children would continue to be exposed to sports that were saturated in alcohol advertisements.
"Children see all of the behaviours that their heroes are doing ... from what they're wearing, to how they're behaving. The research shows that exposure, particularly children around branding, exposure to branding increases likelihood of starting to drink early and heavier drinking among young people. It's actually a causal factor in youth drinking. We know that."
She was pushing for a replacement model where those companies would be phased out over five years and new local sponsors found while the government picked up the tab, and believed it could be done without breaking the bank.
"That would take, say, $30 million. That would replace the sponsorship, that would pay for clubs to be able to identify non-alcohol sponsors and that $30m you could find that by taking 2.5 percent of the $1.2 billion in alcohol excise tax we get every year. Or we could add two cents to a can of beer."
It would be an annual cost over five years.
Former All Black and Highlander Josh Kronfeld started his career in the 1990s, and he said Speight's has been part of the fabric of the Highlanders and Otago rugby since before his time.
"Speight's has been a big part of southern rugby in Otago and the Highlanders for such a long time that I don't think people, maybe, see where the split is. It's just one of those brands that's kind of been associated with it for such a long time ... is it right? I don't know."
He said it was normal for views to evolve like they did with tobacco ads.
"The question you've got to ask is does the input outweigh the benefit of that connection that the younger people get with the people they look up to?
"I don't think they're making that connection at a younger age. Maybe a little bit older they are, but it's about us being aware of it and I guess making good decisions going forward."
The Highlanders said there had been no contact from the Authority yet, but the team would comply with any process.
A spokesperson for Speight's said it had a proud history of supporting the Highlanders, and was working through the complaint.
