PROOF with Guyon Espiner
Table of Contents
Introduction
Follow award-winning journalist Guyon Espiner as he explores New Zealand’s strong drinking culture, talking with individuals about the personal and community impacts of alcohol. From everyday drinkers to those struggling with addiction, the documentary captures how alcohol affects lives and highlights the often-overlooked harms within communities. Espiner also speaks with a representative from the alcohol industry, who argues for alcohol’s potential benefits — but the film critically examines these claims.
The documentary delves deeper into the structural issues that perpetuate alcohol-related harm, such as the concentration of liquor stores in poorer neighborhoods and the lack of support for affected communities. Through these stories, PROOF exposes the predatory nature of the alcohol industry while giving voice to those directly impacted. Espiner’s reporting is both investigative and compassionate, providing a clear picture of how alcohol shapes lives across New Zealand.
More from Guyon Espiner:
Quotes
“We’ve got an environment that we’ve created through cheap alcohol readily available, highly marketed. It sends the signals of a pro-drinking culture, and that’s something we’ve got to turn around.”
“It’s not until you stop drinking that you actually realize that Aotearoa is drowning in booze. If you count all the on-and-off licenses, there are about 11,000 places you can buy booze, or one outlet for every 330 adults. So, yep, the liquor industry has got you covered. And they’ve decided that people in the poor areas are going to be some of their best customers.”
“You don’t know how it’s harmed my people, or if you do, you’re deliberately ignoring it. Deliberately ignoring it because you have a responsibility to make profits for your shareholders.”
“Even as children, we are heavily exposed to alcohol advertising. An Otago University study put cameras on 168 children aged between 11 and 13. It found that kids are exposed to liquor advertising, on average, nearly five times a day. Raawiri Ratuu points out that in that study, tamariki Māori had five times the exposure to alcohol marketing than European children.”
“So where do young people get their information about alcohol? In high schools, they get it from SMASHED. It’s a drama-based program taken up by about 100 New Zealand schools. It’s funded by a charity called The Tomorrow Project … ‘a charitable organization that’s funded by the industry to put in play programs that will help create a moderate drinking culture in New Zealand’. It’s a charity funded by the beer, wines, and spirits industries.”
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Brenda H.
BA Psych, Grad. Cert. Addictions & Mental Health
Driven by a deep personal connection to these topics, I created AMH Resources to bridge the gap between academic knowledge and everyday support. I watch, read, and summarize a wide range of free resources to help you navigate the overwhelming amount of information available and find what resonates with your journey.
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