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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · 3d

Thank you @rnzrss.bsky.social
for continuing to highlight how the #AlcoholIndustry influence on our govt:
❌ cutting alcohol harm experts at HealthNZ
❌ ignoring expert panels
❌ supporting alcohol sales in our communities

Health NZ cutting alcohol harm reduction staff and campaigns, union claims

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · 10d

"...the voices of Māori, which should have been at the forefront of the draft, have been deliberately diluted"
Raawiri Ratuu rightly calls out NZ govts approach to FASD.

This govts response to alcohol harm favours #alcohol industry profit over community health.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-dept...

Health advisory group under fire from its own co-chair over fetal alcohol report

Officials privately expressed surprise at Raawiri Ratuu's criticisms that a new plan to tackle FASD had been weakened.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Reposted by Andy Towers

Mojo Mathers 🇵🇸🏳️‍⚧️🏳️‍🌈 @mojomathers.bsky.social · 12d

Have heard that govt likely to cut eligibility for Total Mobility - an essential lifeline for many disabled people who cannot drive or access public transportation. Please sign this petition to parliament calling for Increased funding for Total Mobility Scheme

Petitions are addressed to the House of Representatives and ask that the House do something about a policy or law, or put right a local or private concern.

petitions.parliament.nz

5 46 65

Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · 28d

“It's about profit over public health”
Andrew Galloway @ AWH.org.nz is spot on.
Seymour is too cozy with #Industry:
• ignores decades of evidence of alcohol, smoking & gambling harm
• seeks industry input on issues effecting their sales
• pushes for that change

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Regulation Minister David Seymour won't rule out label changes for nicotine, tobacco, alcohol

'The problem is not the colour of the label,' David Seymour says.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Aug 28

This is what happens when the #alcohol industry have access to policy makers:
▶️ rules relaxed to sell more drinks & increase harms
▶️ rules tightened to stop community & public health advocates voicing concern over increasing harms
Vote for People Not for Profit

www.stuff.co.nz/politics/360...

Looser rules, digital IDs for a time when people ‘who choose to drink alcohol do so responsibly’

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says will reflect that “most New Zealanders who choose to drink alcohol do so responsibly”.

www.stuff.co.nz

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Aug 25

ICYMI: Study from @uviccisur.bsky.social using data from over 147K Canadians from 2000-2017 shows alcohol has:
❌ No health benefits
⬆️ Dose-response relationship with all-cause & alcohol-related mortality

Supports Canada's reduction in Low-Risk Alcohol Advice.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Alcohol consumption and mortality among Canadian drinkers: A national population‐based survival analysis (2000–2017)

Introduction Alcohol contributes significantly to global disease burden. Over 50 countries, including Canada, have established low-risk drinking guidelines to reduce alcohol-related harm. Canada's G.....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Aug 20

Aroha mai. You ate correct. Deny, not refute.

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Aug 20

Great reporting by Guyon & colleagues @rnzrss.bsky.social
The #AlcoholIndustry shouldn’t be involved in policy. They:
▶️ refute evidence of harm
▶️ avoid blame for their actions
▶️ fight approaches that would reduce harm to communities
▶️ prioritise profit over people

www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Ministry of Health forced to release documents showing alcohol lobby influence

Papers reveal industry lobbying against tax hikes, restrictions on sales, and a Fetal Alcohol plan.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Aug 5

Proof once more about NZ govt approach to alcohol use in AotearoaNZ:
▶️ They do not care about reducing alcohol harm in Aotearoa
▶️ They only care about protecting profit for the industry

Good leadership doesn’t focus on profits over people.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-dept...

Cabinet paper leak suggests Minister Nicole McKee's U-turn on alcohol sales reform

It appears ACT's Nicole McKee wanted to cut off-licence hours. But now, she's scrapped that and wants to 'focus on reducing red tape' instead.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Reposted by Andy Towers

Public Health Communication Centre @phcc.bsky.social · Jul 30

Thousands of internal JUUL documents reveal how tobacco companies sought to influence NZ public health policy, including supplying draft policies and talking points. Public health researchers say it's time for a formal inquiry. @janethoek.bsky.social #JUULGATE tinyurl.com/34b3z75h

#JUULGATE Nicotine industry documents highlight the need for greater transparency in public health policy

Thousands of documents released through lawsuits against vaping company JUUL raise serious questions about the influence tobacco and vaping companies have had on public health policy.

tinyurl.com

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Jul 22

Great article by Guyon Espiner @ RNZ showing V concerning association between tobacco industry and:
▶️ NZ First leaders
▶️ NZ First party
▶️ legislation led by NZ First that supports tobacco products & profits.

www.rnz.co.nz/news/in-dept...

Nicotine lobbyists said Winston Peters was 'very powerful' and 'very industry friendly'

Lobbyists for heated tobacco products identified the NZ First leader as "friendly". His party later delivered huge tax cuts for their products.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Jul 22

Great article in @thespinoff.bsky.social by Steve Randerson @ Massey University explains why it’s time for Aotearoa to stop the alcohol industry having any influence over health policy.

Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Jul 21

Thnx @rnzrss.bsky.social team for exploring why NZ's low-risk alcohol advice needs review. Quick take:
▶️Advice is old & higher than other countries
▶️Research shows alcohol harmful at even low-levels of use
▶️Alcohol industry has no role in planning harm reduction policy

www.rnz.co.nz/news/thedeta...

Booze warnings on hold

If you don't want to face the unpalatable truth about your boozing, the alcohol lobby is on your side.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Jul 14

Hey @rnzrss.bsky.social 👇
Study by Clay & co @uviccisur.bsky.social shows alcohol industry-friendly ISFAR who critique alcohol-harms/health studies more likely to:
▶️ Praise studies promoting health benefits.
▶️ Criticize studies highlighting alcohol-health harms.

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40632205/

The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research (ISFAR) critiques of alcohol research: Promoting health benefits and downplaying harms - PubMed

Critiques from The International Scientific Forum on Alcohol Research (ISFAR) consistently promote alcohol's purported health benefits while minimising evidence of harm, regardless of study quality. T...

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Jul 8

Thank you Eddie for using your expertise, passion & perseverance both to explain to the country the rest of us what the key issues are with RSB as well as fronting that with a public submission.

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Jul 2

Kia ora whanau in Aotearoa. I don’t normally do this but I’ve signed a petition to investigate the Deputy-PM over his attacks on civil servants & academics over their evidence-based & considered opposition the Regulatory Standards Bill.
Link is below:
our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/lu...

PM Luxon: Uphold Codes of Conduct - Call David Seymour into line

Responsible leaders welcome advice from experts when they are creating laws and policies. They know good decision making means planning for the long term, considering diverse points of view and making...

our.actionstation.org.nz

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Jul 2

He Ara Oranga (2018) identified a national mental health and addiction (MHA) crisis in NZ.
Don’t accept any political party saying that MHA is a priority when the government is actively stripping the MHA sector of funding, staffing, access, visibility and voice.

www.thepost.co.nz/politics/360...

Internal documents reveal Health Ministry shake-up

“A handful of roles” will be affected by the change, the ministry confirmed.

www.thepost.co.nz

Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · May 8

Alcohol cost health & social services over $9billion a year & accounts for over 5% of disability & death. Why should AotearoaNZ give the alcohol industry any influence over our alcohol policies?
www.rnz.co.nz/news/politic...

Alcohol lobbyists given input on health policies, documents reveal

Industry groups helped develop several initiatives about alcohol harm - including one on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

www.rnz.co.nz

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · May 8

Kia ora AOD whanau in Aoteara. The awesome SpeedFreaks Addiction Recovery Charity is openning up on the West Coast (South Island). We have two new roles going. Check out one of those below:

www.tepou.co.nz/jobs/group-d...

Group Development Coordinator - 30 hours per week

www.tepou.co.nz

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Apr 2

Worried about #AlcoholUse in those aged 50+? We trialed a #PrimaryHealthCare intervention to enhance detection of older at-risk drinkers:
▶️Used existing PHO system data
▶️Combined it with education on #OlderDrinkers
Disrupted by COVID-19 but it worked.
@smcnz.bsky.social
doi.org/10.1071/HC24...

A mixed-methods evaluation of an intervention for enhancing alcohol screening in adults aged 50+ attending primary health care

Introduction Adults aged 50 years and over are drinking more than ever but primary health care (PHC) professionals find it challenging to screen them for alcohol-related harm, despite being at greater...

doi.org

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Apr 1

Of course they do. The better question is “What do we do if parents can’t or don’t provide lunches?”
New poll: Most voters think parents should provide school lunches

Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Mar 19

How important are NGO Mental Health & Addiction (MHA) services in Aotearoa? They:
▶️ see 41% of those seeking MHA support
▶️ yet only receive 27% of govt MHA funding
▶️ are our MHA innovation hubs
▶️ return $3.50 in benefits for every $1 invested

Check it out ⬇️

www.platform.org.nz/what-we-do/n...

NGO Capability, Impact and Value - Platform Trust | Growing healthy and connected communities

www.platform.org.nz

Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Mar 18

Excellent work by @gidmk.bsky.social showing why it’s important to:
(A) Identify if industry has funded a study, so you can
(B) Review results for potential bias in reporting.
Sometimes wanting to find differences can sway your discussion of results.
BigMango strikes again!

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Mar 18

Aged 50+ and worried about your alcohol use? Those around you aged 50+ drinking a lot? Check out this video from Associate Prof David Newcombe (University of Auckland) and myself (Massey University) on the results of over 5 years of research with Te Whatu Ora (HealthNZ):
youtu.be/1_fKpmx33m8?...

Older adult drinkers in Aotearoa New Zealand

YouTube video by CFAR

youtu.be

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Andy Towers @andytowersnz.bsky.social · Dec 4

Fair point mate. I can see a parallel between this & duties of a director under Companies Act 1993 s131-137 in the sense of needing to act in good faith, illustrate due diligence & an attempt to comply with the Act. Not saying there is a breach of the letter of Act here but adherence to moral?