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Aim  To assess alcohol‐related harms and offences in New Zealand from 1990 to 2003, a period of alcohol policy liberalization, that included the lowering of the purchase age from 20 to 18  years in 1999.

 Design, setting and participants  Time trend analyses were carried out on routinely collected data for prosecutions for driving with excess alcohol; alcohol‐involved vehicle crashes (all and fatal) and prosecutions for disorder offences. These were carried out separately for those aged 14–15, 16–17, 18–19, 20–24 and 25 years and over. 

Measurements  Rates of: prosecutions for driving with excess alcohol (1990–2003); rates of alcohol‐ involved vehicle crashes (all and fatal) (1990–2003); and rates of prosecutions for disorder offences (1994–2003). 

Findings  Effects of alcohol policy liberalization: positive trends were found in the rates of prosecutions for disorder in the 16–17, 18–19, 20–24 and 25 …