Landmarks will be light up red around New Zealand on Monday to raise awareness about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

September is International FASD Awareness Month and it provides the chance to direct a spotlight on one of our most misunderstood yet significantly prevalent conditions.

Landmarks will be lit up around New Zealand for the first time on Monday, September 9, joining cities around the globe in acknowledging Fetal Alcohol Awareness. 

09/09 symbolises the nine months of pregnancy during which the unborn child should not be exposed to alcohol.

From Whangārei to Dunedin, towns and cities will light up in red, including the Michael Fowler Centre in Wellington, the Botanic Gardens in Ōtautahi, Christchurch and Otago Settlers Museum in Ōtepoti, Dunedin.

“The inaugural lighting of landmarks around the country on FASD Awareness Day is a very welcome step towards creating more awareness, which is well overdue," said FASD-CAN CEO Stephanie James-Sadler.

It’s a particularly helpful initiative for 2024, since Health Minister Dr Shane Reti committed earlier this year to revitalising the neglected 2016-2019 FASD Action Plan. Planned initiatives include training 30 more health professionals to diagnose FASD, a pilot support programme for whānau and caregivers, and a national campaign to raise awareness.

Two new reports in 2024 have shown that FASD has an far greater impact than is commonly

• FASD was found to far outweigh both car accidents and alcohol-fuelled violence in a Massey University study – the first in the world to include the disorder in a harm to others (HTO) study on alcohol.

• FASD costs New Zealand $4.8bn annually – nearly half the cost of all alcohol harm which was estimated at $9.1bn (NZIER report).

Despite these extraordinary figures, much of the NZ public continues to be unaware of the risks of alcohol in pregnancy. FASD is not being routinely identified or actively supported in New Zealand although evidence shows that early diagnosis and strengths-based interventions are critical factors for healthy life outcomes.

Dr Reti acknowledged that much more needs to be done to bring awareness to both preventing FASD by educating the public about the risks of drinking alcohol when pregnant, and supporting the estimated 3-5 per cent of babies born every year with it - up to eight babies a day.

“We hope that change is coming this year and all our advocacy and lobbying brings about action that is not just words on a page, but real change to support people with FASD and their whānau around Aotearoa," said James-Sadler.

Landmarks lighting up in red on 09/09 include:

Whangārei – Canopy Bridge

Whanganui – Opera House and War Memorial

New Plymouth – clock tower

Nelson – clock tower

Wellington – Michael Fowler Centre, Queens Wharf sails, Oriental Bay fountain (weather permitting)

Christchurch – the Botanic Gardens, New Brighton Pier, Bridge of Remembrance, Scott Plaza, Victoria Square fountain, Vaka A Hine, Fanfare (northern motorway)

Dunedin – Toitu Settlers Museum and Railway Station

Background to Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder

• FASD is a lifelong spectrum of disabilities resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure. With early assessment and intervention, many of those with FASD can live good lives – however, for most people living with FASD, exclusion, intolerance, stigma and a systemic failure to be accommodated in education, medical and legal systems is extremely challenging.

• FASD Awareness in NZ is low, despite the fact that it’s estimated to be more prevalent in our population than Autism Spectrum Disorder, Down syndrome, spina bifida, SIDS and cerebral palsy – combined.

• Studies by the University of Auckland’s School of Population Health over the last few years have shown that professionals across every sector – education, health, mental health and justice – feel under-educated and under-prepared to adequately support those with FASD.

• Any amount of alcohol in pregnancy can cause FASD. Because nearly 50 per cent of Kiwi women have unplanned pregnancies they often don’t realise initially that they’re pregnant – so they continue drinking alcohol – with results that can change lives forever.

• September is International FASD Awareness Month – it provides the chance to direct a spotlight on one of our most misunderstood yet significantly prevalent conditions.