The Impacts of Liquor Outlets in Manukau City Report No. 4 - Spatial econometric analysis of selected impacts of liquor outlet density in Manukau City

This paper employs a spatial seemingly unrelated regression approach to investigate the crosssectional association between density of liquor outlets in Manukau City (as at 31 January 2009) and a range of alcohol-related harms such as police events and motor vehicle accidents in the period 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009. Holding all other variables constant, our preferred specification shows that three density measures (off-licence density, club and bar density, and restaurant and cafe density) have a range of associated alcohol-related harms, including violent offences, family violence, sexual offences, drug an alcohol offences, property damage, property abuses, antisocial behaviour, dishonesty offences, traffic offences, and motor vehicle accidents. Further research is needed to analyse the effects of liquor outlet density across all of New Zealand. The approach described in this report is easily transferable to investigate the relationships in other parts of the country.