The Alcohol Advisory Council says law changes are needed to address the availability of cheap alcohol.
Palmerston North City Council, district health board, police and the Fire Service have signed an agreement to work together against what they define as "alcohol-related harm".
Alac chief executive Gerard Vaughan says getting agencies to work together is a great achievement, but more needs to be done to tackle the problem of people drinking heavily.
Mr Vaughan says society's attitudes towards alcohol need to change, and the availability of cheap alcohol at stores with long trading hours needs to be addressed at a national level.
