PurposeThe purpose of this study is to identify enablers and barriers influencing single-use plastic (SUP) milk bottle volume reduction in New Zealand using the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) theory. Single-use plastic (SUP) milk bottles contribute significantly to plastic waste, yet when compared to other types of single-use plastic packaging (e.g. plastic bags), they have received far less research attention.Design/methodology/approachThe study conducted in-depth interviews with 20 milk consumers in New Zealand, thoroughly analyzed via reflexive thematic analysis in NVivo 14.FindingsFindings reveals key drivers of change, including heightened awareness of plastic waste, concerns over plastic-related health risks and recognition of recycling limitations. However, significant barriers persist, such as cost constraints, the market dominance of milk plastic packaging, limited reusable milk alternatives and insufficient policy support. Many participants indicated that high prices and low availability of reusable milk options impede broader adoption.Practical implicationsBy applying the COM-B model, the study offers deeper insights into how individual and systemic factors intersect, revealing key strategic guidance for policymakers, producers, retailers and environmental advocates seeking to transform the dairy supply chain for circular economy objectives. This study emphasizes the need for holistic, multi-level interventions, policy development, enhanced retail infrastructure and behaviour change, to foster a shift toward sustainable and cost-effective sustainable packaging.Originality/valueThis is the first study to explore consumers' barriers and enablers to reduce milk plastic packaging. The findings of this study add to the existing literature on plastic reduction and behaviour change.

Māori experience inequities in the recognition of mate wareware and in access to dementia and aged care support in Aotearoa New Zealand. Less is known about how whānau experience supporting a whānau member with mate wareware, what support they find helpful, and what they consider important for mate wareware-friendly communities. This kaupapa Māori qualitative study involved a co-design phase with seven kaumātua, which informed the study questions and whānau hui guide, followed by ten in-depth whānau Māori hui involving 12 individual participants; the whānau hui formed the analytic dataset. Whānau hui data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Four interconnected themes were developed: delayed recognition; whānau caregiving as collective strength alongside concentrated responsibility; sustaining wairua, identity, and belonging; and care transitions and structural barriers. Interpreted together, these themes informed a four-condition account of mana-preserving care, in which mana may be sustained or eroded through interactions among recognition and knowledge, whānau caregiving, wairua, identity and belonging, and service and institutional conditions at transitions. Where continuity fragmented, whānau frequently undertook integrative work to bridge gaps across people, places, culture, and services. The findings point to earlier mate wareware information and support through Māori-facilitated and community-based approaches, support that recognises concentrated caregiving responsibility, continuity across services and transitions, and routine practices that embed tikanga, while reducing reliance on whānau to compensate for fragmentation.

This study examined intervention strategies to reduce single-use plastic (SUP) milk bottles through a citizen-centred approach. SUP milk bottles remain underexplored despite their waste impact. Extending the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW), the research distinguishes between individual-level (i-level) and system-level (s-level) levers. A sequential mixed-methods design was used. Study 1 involved semi-structured interviews with 20 milk drinkers to generate strategies, which were mapped to the BCW and i-level/s-level framework. Study 2 used a Best-Worst Scaling survey (n = 400) to elicit citizen preferences, analysed with a multinomial logit model. Incentives (i-level) were most preferred, followed by regulation & legislation (s-level), while education & information and persuasion & modelling were least favoured. Findings highlight the need for impactful approaches, advancing citizen-informed social marketing and policy design.

Single-use plastics (SUPs) pose significant global environmental challenges, emphasising the need for more effective intervention strategies. Existing reduction efforts often prioritise policy, legislative actions, or psychological interventions, but lack comprehensive guidance for future applications. This review categorises behaviour change interventions for SUPs reduction into individual-level (I-level) and system-level (S-level) approaches with three objectives: (1) synthesising current interventions into I-level and S-level categories, (2) examining their application across contexts, and (3) evaluating their impact on behavioural determinants. Quality was rigorously assessed using the 'Quality Appraisal for Diverse Studies' (QuADS) tool. From an initial search of over 900 peer-reviewed articles and additional searches, 41 studies met the criteria for inclusion. The findings indicated that I-level interventions, mostly educational campaigns, yield mixed outcomes with limited evidence of sustained behaviour change. Conversely, S-level interventions, mostly bans and market-based mechanisms (e.g., fees and levies), demonstrated higher efficacy, particularly when strongly enforced. Notably, none of the reviewed studies combined I-level and S-level approaches. Analysis using the Capability-Opportunity-Motivation-Behaviour (COM-B) model revealed that I-level interventions often enhanced 'capa-bility' but overlooked 'opportunity', while S-level interventions created 'opportunity' but generally neglected 'capability'. Both types of interventions are insufficiently targeted at 'motivation'. This review underscores the urgent need for multi-faceted approaches that integrate both I-level and S-level strategies and engage stakeholders to bolster intervention effectiveness.

This study explores New Zealand residents' perceptions of factors associated with support for cruise tourism using the CruisERT framework. Survey data from 702 residents of port communities were analysed using SPSS. Findings highlight positive impacts such as economic benefits (employment and business opportunities) and social improvements (better facilities and quality of life). However, positive economic outcomes did not influence their support for cruise tourism. Instead, support for cruise tourism is strongly linked to perceived positive social and environmental impacts. Negative perceptions include environmental harm, unequal financial benefits, and reduced quality of local offerings. Compared to other tourism types, cruise tourism is the least preferred for development. These insights can guide stakeholders in developing sustainable and community-friendly cruise tourism.

Dementia is a leading cause of disability, and as the population ages, there will be a greater need for friends and family to care for people with Dementia. Unfortunately, informal care for a person with dementia is associated with poor psychological and physical health and lower quality of life of the caregiver. The aim of the present study was to understand how to best support caregivers within their communities by examining their experience of loneliness, isolation, and their relationship with well-being. The study used a representative sample of the New Zealand population in terms of ethnicity, age, gender, education, and income and asked people if they were a primary caregiver of a person with Alzheimer's Disease or related disorder. Both loneliness and isolation were linked to overall well-being; however, loneliness was a stronger predictor of satisfaction with relationships and feeling part of one's community. The findings highlight the importance of examining the multi-factorial constructs of social connectedness and question research attributing loneliness solely to reduced social involvement. As such, interventions for caregivers of a person with dementia need to target feelings of loneliness as well as their social isolation.

Brand extensions strategies are aimed at extracting further value from an existing brand. The brand family metaphor, which has resonated with marketing scholars and practitioners for decades, has promulgated the use of analogies such as parents, siblings and off-spring to describe resulting brand-to-brand relationships. In this paper however, we question whether this metaphor and its analogical mappings, still hold relevance given we are in an 'era of liquid modernity' (Bauman, 2000) where notions of family may be less prescriptive. Through our analysis of interview data with practitioners who work on literary film adaptations, we found that the relationships among original and extended brands may be better conceptualised using an alternative metaphor: 'brand for rent'. Our analysis revealed that in many contemporary brand-to-brand relationships, the relationship between the two brands is not solid, but rather fluid with a 'distance' between them; and the relationship contractual rather than familial. Our findings indicate that this alternative metaphor may have particular merit as marketplaces adapt to increasingly fluid contexts, where novel brand extension strategies and brand-to-brand relationships are emerging. We suggest further exploration of the metaphor and consideration of others, to further assist to theorise the diversity in contemporary brand extension practice.

Known barriers prevent informal caregivers of a person with dementia using community services; however, there is a dearth of knowledge on how organisations can overcome these barriers. This study examined caregivers' perceptions of the barriers and facilitators of service use with regards to their membership to one Alzheimers organisation and their recommendations for improvements. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 informal caregivers. Thematic analysis revealed personal and organisational barriers to service use, and associated recommendations. Six recommendations were made for dementia service organisations: (a) be proactive and arrange regular scheduled meetings with clients; (b) utilise consistent, trusting, empathic support personnel who can build strong relationships with clients; (c) provide support groups; (d) tailor support; (e) ensure expert knowledge and numerous channels of information delivery to clients, the general public and health professionals and (f) actively promote the organisation and services offered. This study provides novel insights into how a community organisation can overcome client barriers to service use. In addition, the study reveals caregivers perceived value of an Alzheimers organisation, argued to be an essential service, but until now clients' perceptions of the value received have not been explored.

Drawing on the theory of social distance, this study examined the extent to which residents’ attitudes concerning tourism can predict a sympathetic understanding of tourists. Results from residents within the rapidly emerging inbound tourism market, Japan ( n=1569), were analyzed. EFA was undertaken on both residents’ attitudes and social distance data. CFA was then undertaken to establish a measurement model, followed by SEM to examine model relationships. The SEM revealed that more negative attitudes concerning tourism were found to have the strongest impact on less sympathetic understanding of tourists and vice versa, revealing that residents’ attitudes toward tourists depend in part upon whether attitudes about tourism are positive or negative. This study expands residents’ attitude theory by exploring the outcomes of such attitudes, rather than focusing on antecedents. Practical implications are advanced concerning internal marketing strategies, such as disseminating the positive impacts of tourism development to residents.

This article reports on the results of a consumer lifestyles segmentation study of the adult New Zealand population, which is part of an ongoing research programme conducted by consumer behaviour researchers at the University of Otago since 1979. Six lifestyle segments were identified: the ‘Educated Liberals’, ‘Financial Strugglers’, ‘Contemporary New Zealanders’, ‘Uncertain Young’, ‘Traditional Family Values’, and, the ‘Disengaged’. These segments are based on responses to nearly 200 questions about consumer attitudes, opinions and behaviours from 1,640 respondents. The discussion of the segments provides a number of new and useful insights into the contemporary world of the New Zealand consumer.

Illicit markets persist in places where recreational cannabis has been legalized. This study aimed to identify perceived facilitators/barriers of switching from an illicit to a licit cannabis source. Using a cross-sectional qualitative approach, 529 students, from one New Zealand university, completed a survey investigating the facilitators/barriers to switching through two open-ended questions. Perceived facilitators for switching included: safety (63.1%); price (42.7%); legal, no risk of convictions (35.3%); increased accessibility (32.3%); product diversity (14.2%). Perceived barriers included: price (66.4%); judgement (36%); regulation (28.9%); loyalty to current supplier (27.2%); reduced accessibility (13.2%). The findings provide recommendations for policies aimed at tipping people in favor of a licit over an illicit source. Avoiding arrest/convictions, and easier access, were not primary facilitators for switching. Thus, providing a licit market might be insufficient in the absence of other competitive factors, such as communicating improved product safety. Competitive pricing and regulation (tetrahydrocannabinol strength/quantity limits) were also barriers. Given legal markets aimed at minimizing harm are constrained with competing in these areas, it is significant that our findings identified other barriers which could be overcome, including limiting surveillance and quantity limits and positioning stores to preserve anonymity. The findings also highlight that loyalty to current illicit suppliers will be a significant barrier.

Fruits and vegetables that fail to conform to an aesthetic standard are labelled suboptimal and are often devalued and ultimately discarded. Although consumers perceive suboptimal produce negatively, little is known about how these perceptions are formed and indeed the socialisation process behind them. Using 11 focus group discussions with New Zealand children aged 5-11 years (N = 97), this study explores these socialisations. The results show that family practises around growing and repurposing suboptimal produce, learning about suboptimal produce waste, and acting on that knowledge when making produce choices, facilitates the acceptance of suboptimal produce. Alternatively, observations of parents' produce choice behaviours, and parents' instructions or norms for choosing, preparing, and eating produce socialise the rejection of suboptimal produce. The implications of the study show how environmental sustainability with respect to the food waste problem could be effectively addressed if public policy moves towards strategies that "normalise" suboptimal produce. The interventions recommended show how public campaigns would be more effective by targeting children, who are not only concerned about environmental sustainability, but also through their growing agency and positive pester-power may influence households to reconsider how food is valued.

Compared to drinking abstinence, the encouragement of moderating drinking is a pragmatic and sensible approach to addressing excessive alcohol consumption. This study explores how students' perceptions of facilitators of moderate drinking vary between a wet (New Zealand) and dry drinking country (Vietnam). A qualitative survey was conducted with 227 and 278 respondents from New Zealand and Vietnam, respectively. Aligning with the behavioral ecological framework, the content analysis reveals that students perceive several factors to encourage moderate drinking at the individual (e.g., controllability and coping skills), social (e.g., peer influences), and environmental level (e.g., alternatives to drinking). The response variations between the two countries provided novel insights into cultural differences in students' perceptions, with internal factors exerting stronger influence in the dry culture and external influences being more prominent in the wet culture. The findings offer recommendations to inform nonprofit and social marketing in the areas of alcohol control.

Children's perceptions of suboptimal fruits and vegetables have not been studied in the suboptimal foods domain. Using two qualitative research methods, this study investigates children's (N = 97) edibility perceptions of suboptimal produce with varied appearance defects. The results show that unlike adult samples previously studied, children are more accepting of suboptimal produce. Defects in shape, size, and certain colour defects were positively perceived, reflecting retailers' opportunities to market suboptimal produce. High levels of brown discolorations and superficial blemishes were not acceptable, implying that produce with such defects could be repurposed as ingredients in foods prepared and sold in-store. These implications reflect retailers' opportunities in marketing suboptimal produce to children, who by their familial influence may also be able to get families to buy and consume suboptimal produce. The importance of familiarity in improving suboptimal food acceptance is also recognised for future research to explore.

Purpose This study aims to explore the barriers that prevent students from moderating their drinking by comparing attitudes towards moderation in a wet (New Zealand) and dry (Vietnam) drinking culture and examines whether these barriers can be understood by applying an ecological framework. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative survey involving a written vignette was conducted with a sample of 226 and 277 undergraduates from New Zealand and Vietnam, respectively. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings The analysis reveals that students perceive several barriers to moderate drinking at the intrapersonal level (e.g. positive attitude towards drinking), interpersonal level (e.g. peer pressure) and environmental level (e.g. socialising activities), suggesting that an ecological framework is useful for understanding drinking cultures. The response variations between the two countries provide novel insights into cultural differences in students' perceptions, with external factors being more important and influential in the wet culture and internal influences being of more concern in the dry culture. Originality/value This study provides novel insights into the barriers and facilitators of moderating drinking. Further, the findings demonstrate the value of a holistic ecological framework for understanding student drinking cultures. The comparison between two diverse cultures revealed how insights from one culture can help to understand deep-seated practices and meanings in another.

Existing literature exemplifies the relationship between alcohol and overt aggression, especially for adult males. Less clear is the relationship between alcohol and aggression among male and female college students, in particular, the nature of this aggression and the co-occurrence of drinking and aggression on the same day (temporal proximity). This study examines the chronic and temporal nature of males' and females' alcohol-related aggression among college students. Two hundred fourteen students completed a web-based 7-day event-level survey measuring alcohol consumption and perpetration of physical aggression, verbal aggression, anger, and relational aggression over 4 weeks, resulting in 4,256 observations (days). The global analysis revealed students who are heavy drinkers are more likely to perpetrate all four forms of aggression, whereas the event-level analysis revealed that specific forms of aggression are associated with drinking at the time, while other forms were not linked to drinking occasions. Cross-tabulation revealed males and females were more likely to use verbal and physical aggression when drinking. For females, drinking was also associated with relational aggression and anger. Despite often being overlooked in research on aggression during emerging adulthood, relational aggression was prevalent. Discrepancies between the global and temporal analysis revealed factors other than alcohol might explain the relationship between chronic alcohol consumption and specific forms of aggression. This is one of the first event-level studies to show the temporal relationship between alcohol and relational aggression. The distinctions in the current study, exemplifying the diversity of alcohol-related aggression, are critical for understanding aggressive behavior, potential gender differences, and for developing interventions. The temporal relationship between alcohol and aggression suggests health interventions should target drinking and aggression simultaneously.

Purpose This study aims to explore the barriers that prevent students from moderating their drinking by comparing attitudes towards moderation in a wet (New Zealand) and dry (Vietnam) drinking culture and examines whether these barriers can be understood by applying an ecological framework. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative survey involving a written vignette was conducted with a sample of 226 and 277 undergraduates from New Zealand and Vietnam, respectively. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings The analysis reveals that students perceive several barriers to moderate drinking at the intrapersonal level (e.g. positive attitude towards drinking), interpersonal level (e.g. peer pressure) and environmental level (e.g. socialising activities), suggesting that an ecological framework is useful for understanding drinking cultures. The response variations between the two countries provide novel insights into cultural differences in students’ perceptions, with external factors being more important and influential in the wet culture and internal influences being of more concern in the dry culture. Practical implications The findings highlight that students in the wet drinking culture do not take personal responsibility for their drinking and suggest that social marketing should move beyond individualistic approaches and towards the disruption of drinking cultures/practices, in pursuit of a healthier drinking culture. Originality/value This study provides novel insights into the barriers and facilitators of moderating drinking. Further, the findings demonstrate the value of a holistic ecological framework for understanding student drinking cultures. The comparison between two diverse cultures revealed how insights from one culture can help to understand deep-seated practices and meanings in another.

This study addresses the dearth of literature into drinking moderation and demonstrates the value of a social ecological approach for identifying the influencers of students’ intention to moderate drinking. In doing so, the study supports a promotion approach over an avoidance approach as a new opportunity for addressing heavy student drinking through social marketing. A quantitative survey is conducted within a sample of university students ( n = 660) in Vietnam where drinking moderation is commonplace. This research context is arguably helpful to discover factors linked to drinking in moderation, which could inform interventions to reduce problematic drinking in heavy-drinking cultures. Findings suggest that there exist multiple levels of influence on students’ intention to moderate drinking beyond individual factors, which makes drinking moderation a complex phenomenon. There also exist gender differences in how the factors affect moderate drinking intention. Females appear to moderate their drinking through both internal and external control mechanisms, while males tend to moderate their drinking mainly through internal control. These findings can be used to develop interventions aimed at fostering safe and sensible drinking cultures. By taking a comprehensive approach, the most necessary targets are identified to bring about the desired change. It is also suggested that the interventions should be tailored to different gender needs.