Alcohol Healthwatch says there are lessons to learn about tackling the teenage drinking problem, from the decline in smoking.
A new survey by the Ministry of Health shows New Zealand teenagers are smoking less but they're drinking more, which raises concern over what they call "hazardous alcohol consumption" by those under the age of 25.
The figures show a dramatic fall in smoking by 15 to 17-year-olds. It's dropped from almost 16 per cent a decade ago - 35,000 people - to 3.9 per cent, around 12,000 people in that age group smoking.
But while young people are steering away from cigarettes, hazardous alcohol consumption for those under 25 is almost unchanged in the past year.
That's because "we haven't taken any action," said Nicki Jackson of Alcohol Healthwatch.
"It's time now that we restrict advertising, we remove alcohol sponsorship and we put the price up of alcohol," she said.
She says there are lessons to learn from the decline in smoking.
"When you take leadership and you want environmental change, and you implement strong, evidence-based policies you see these reductions that we've seen. We haven't taken the same action with alcohol."
And while attitudes may be changing towards tobacco, Action on Smoking and Health warns against complacency.
"There's the danger that with the results being so positive for young people that the Government and the ministry take their focus off young people and think their job is done. Whereas we know that young people can change their minds on what's cool and what isn't overnight," said Boyd Broughton of Action on Smoking and Health.
The decline in teen smoking is being described as a cultural shift where lighting up is just not cool.
"Smoking doesn't fit," Mr Broughton said.
He said in the last decade a lot of money was spent on advertising directed at young people to not start smoking.
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