Drinking a yardie has become a rite of passage but should it be discouraged?

Drinking a yardie to celebrate your 21st birthday has become a rite of passage for young Kiwis, but should the tradition be discouraged? Brett Kerr-Laurie reports.

No one really enjoys sculling a yardie, says Ethan Watchorn.

“It’s not for fun, it’s not for getting drunk, you just do it because you kind of have to.”

The University of Canterbury (UC) student downed his yardie to celebrate his 21st birthday in November. He was pleased with his time, draining the glass in just over two minutes.

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For those unfamiliar with the tradition, the yard-long (91cm) glass is filled with beer and chugged as quickly as possible.

The drinker gets to select the beverage, with low-carb lager often a popular choice.

Exactly how much beer the yardie holds can vary but the standard New Zealand size is 2.3l – the equivalent of almost seven 330ml bottles.

What is also unclear is when the practice started. A Google search suggests it began in 17th century English ale houses, before spreading to Australia and Aotearoa.

Today it’s a rite of passage for many young Kiwis.

But Rebecca Williams, director of Alcohol Healthwatch – which aims to reduce and prevent alcohol-related harm – says people should “absolutely not” participate in yardies.

“It represents a harmful drinking patterns that’s become an established tradition.”

There are many healthier ways to celebrate a young person’s growth, she says, and “we need to break the link between alcohol and adulthood”.

Watchorn, who is studying Early Childhood Education at UC, says nearly all his uni mates took part in the tradition.

“It’s just what you do when you turn 21,” he says.

“You just throw it straight back up and then carry on with your night.”

Watchorn’s university friend Toby Smith downed his yardie in 40 seconds – before throwing it back up.

He thought it was a “decent effort”.

His “stomach didn’t love it”, he says but “it’s an expectation and also a mark of turning 21”.

“It’s a once in your lifetime challenge, but it’s definitely rough.”

Smith says it’s typically males who drink a yardie on their 21st, with females often preferring 21 shots of spirits and mixers – the “less rowdy” alternative.

However, Massey University design student Harriet Neilson plans to defy the gender norm this month by drinking a yardie, using the same glass that her two brothers and her father drank from. The celebratory vessel, having been stored in the attic.

Despite the expectation – and the social pressure – not all young Kiwis partake in the tradition.

UC Environmental Science student Indigo Littl​ describes the ritual as “silly” and says she won’t be downing a yardie or slamming 21 shots on her birthday in October.

“It’s not actually that impressive,” she says.

“I don’t see why I need to drink that much to celebrate.”

Most of her mates threw up or became “incomprehensible” after consuming so much alcohol, she says.

While Mika Herval, a Law student at Victoria University of Wellington, didn’t do a yardie when he turned 21 in April, despite brewing his own beer.

“I wouldn’t want to have it in one go, I’d prefer to savour it,” he says of the homebrew.

Herval says the tradition speaks to a wider binge drinking culture in New Zealand.

“It does seem like a bit of a thing as, particularly young people, drink lots,” he says.

“I think that’s reflected in all sorts of statistics.”

Although there have been improvements, there remains a “persistent core of harmful drinking” in New Zealand, says Williams of Alcohol Healthwatch.

According to the most recent NZ Health Survey, a quarter of adult drinkers participated in “heavy episodic drinking” each month – something defined as six standard drinks on one occasion.

But Massey student Neilson says that’s “below average”, with a box of 5% vodka RTDs containing 13 standard drinks.

NZ’s binge drinking culture is “a fact”, she says, and drinking a box of RTDs most weekends is normal at university.

Watchorn agreed that NZ has a drinking culture, particularly in the first year at university.

“People tell you, ‘be prepared to drink’, because that’s what you do at uni.”

Despite these perceptions, the NZ Health Survey found heavy episodic drinking in young adults was only slightly higher than in older generations.

The figures show, 17.2% of weekly heavy episodic drinking was done by Kiwis aged 18-24, compared to 16% for those aged 35-44, 13.2% for those aged 44-55 and 15.7% for people aged 55-64.

In fact, Dr Jude Ball, a senior researcher at the University of Otago’s Department of Public Health, says youth drinking is on the decline.

“A lot of friend groups in that age group aren’t into drinking so the perception everyone’s doing it is incorrect,” she says.

Dr Ball advised against drinking large quantities of alcohol and says 10 or more drinks is extremely high for one occasion, particularly for young people.

“Drinking upwards of 10 units of alcohol on an occasion is strongly associated with harms like injuries, unwanted sex, unprotected sex, doing stupid things that could get you in serious trouble, aggression, fights and so on.

“Drinking in moderation is less likely to lead to that.”