Alcohol available for consumption in New Zealand decreased to 477 million litres in the year ending in December 2023, a fall of 4.3 percent from 2022, the largest fall over the past 15 years, the statistics department at Stats NZ said on Tuesday.

"The last year was a challenging one for domestic producers, with a number of challenges, including adverse weather events," said Alasdair Allen, Stats NZ international trade manager.

There was also a reduction in imports of beer and wine, Allen said, adding that the volume of beer available fell 4.4 percent, wine fell 2.4 percent, and spirits and spirit-based drinks fell 5.7 percent.

This was the largest decrease in beer volumes since a fall of 6.6 percent in 2012, Allen said, adding that imports of beer decreased 5.1 percent to 4.2 million litres, following a 10 percent fall in 2022 and a 50 percent fall in 2021.

Volumes of wine had the smallest decrease out of the three types of alcohol available for consumption, with a fall of 2.4 percent to 99 million litres, he said.

Wine exports in 2023 fell 9 percent compared with 2022 to 269 million litres, which followed a rise of 5 percent in 2022 and a fall of 7.3 percent in 2021, the statistics showed.

Spirits-based drinks, such as ready-to-drink beverages, decreased the most in 2023, by 7 percent, which followed a 3.8 percent increase in 2022 and a 14 percent increase in 2021, Allen said.

The volume of traditional spirits, such as vodka, whisky, and gin, remained relatively flat, with an increase of 1.4 percent, he added.

(With UNI inputs)