Prof Sellman, who is director of the University of Otago's (Christchurch) national addiction centre, will speak at the launch today of Alcohol Action New Zealand at Te Papa, in Wellington.
A 37-lecture tour of the country by Prof Sellman, on "10 things the alcohol industry won't tell you about alcohol" will follow.
The Dunedin meeting, on October 9, will be hosted by Mayor Peter Chin.
Prof Sellman will speak in Queenstown on October 13.
Prof Sellman said he expected the alcohol industry would come out with "all sorts of abusive comments", but there was a groundswell of feeling that people were "starting to wise up to some of their antics".
It was the tobacco industry "all over again", he said.
His group advocates a "five-plus" solution to alcohol-related issues in New Zealand.
These would include raising alcohol prices and the buying age, and reducing marketing and advertising.
Prof Sellman said the New Zealand alcohol industry was spending about $200,000 a day marketing its product, and had particularly targeted young people and women during the past 10 years.
The lecture tour aimed to promote scientifically-based information about alcohol and how to better control alcohol use, he said.
Prof Sellman said it was no coincidence a just released report from the British Medical Association recommended a variety of restrictions be imposed in the United Kingdom, including a ban on all alcohol marketing.
Alcohol Action was not a lone voice, but an organisation that was taking heed of international scientific literature.
The BMA also considered it essential that United Kingdom governments moved away from partnerships with the alcohol industry and looked at effective alternatives to self-regulation.
One of the advisers to the BMA was Massey University Centre for Social and Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation director Prof Sally Casswell, who said in Dunedin last week there was no room for such partnerships because there was too much conflict of interest.
Commenting on the BMA report, Prof Casswell said she was not surprised at its recommendations and understood similar proposals were being aired in Australia.
Hospitality Association New Zealand (Hanz) chief executive Bruce Robertson said the BMA report should not hold any weight in New Zealand.
He did not accept marketing had made an impact on how much people were drinking.
Public health lobbyists wanted to put all the responsibility on retailers and producers rather than recognising individuals made the choice to buy and consume alcohol and the degree to which they consumed it, he said.
About 70% of consumption occurred away from licensed premises.
Mr Robertson said Hanz favoured making it an offence for under 18-year-olds to drink alcohol, something which would empower parents to say no to buying alcohol for minors.
It has also suggested re-introducing the offence of being drunk in a public place.
More regulations and reducing the availability of alcohol was not going to change the behaviour of binge drinkers who set out to get drunk, Mr Robertson said.
The 'Five-plus' solution
- Raise alcohol prices.
- Raise buying age.
- Reduce alcohol accessibility.
- Reduce marketing and advertising.
- Increase drink-driving counter-measures.
- Plus increase treatment opportunities for heavy drinkers.
Source: Alcohol Action NZ
