For New Zealanders, alcohol is an integral part of society and is used on many occasions. Alcohol can be found in almost every social occasion and there is an expectation to drink at these occasions too. This is especially true for those who are college students or around the same age group. College students, as well New Zealanders in general, use bars as places to meet, drink alcohol to smooth over conversations, and will try to find a romantic partner as well. Alcohol is the ‘push starter’ to social interactions for New Zealanders. New Zealand also has somewhat of a culture of binge drinking. New Zealanders profess that when they go out to drink, it is often with the intention of getting completely drunk and it is viewed as widely socially acceptable. The legal drinking age in New Zealand is 18 years old. The typical penalty for drinking or buying alcohol underage is a $250 fine (150 USD).
In New Zealand, about one in six people use drugs recreationally. Among them, cannabis is the drug with the highest use rate followed by drugs such as amphetamine and ecstasy. Since the use of cannabis is illegal, those who are found smoking it are struck with $500 fine (380 USD) and those that grow it can get a 14 year sentence. Possession of drugs such as ecstasy incur similar fees but with a 3 month prison term alongside it. About half of the population of New Zealand has used cannabis at some time, and the figures for use of the drug are very similar to that of the USA. Compare to the Maori, non-Maori inhabitants have a higher rate of drinking alcohol daily. Interestingly though, Maori showed a higher rate of drinking large amounts of alcohol weekly compared to non-Maori. Maori residents also have a higher rate of consumption of cannabis in comparison.