It's 'Crate Day', a tradition which Alcohol Healthwatch says only serves to promote hazardous drinking.
It says the event is actively promoted by liquor stores and puts extra pressure on the country's health system.
Males between the age of 18 and 24 are the heaviest drinkers in New Zealand - not hard to see at one Crate Day party in Christchurch.
What started as a radio station publicity stunt 11 years ago has turned into tens of thousands partaking in the countrywide tradition of a single person drinking an entire crate - 30 standard drinks.
Liquor shops were doing a roaring trade from the minute they opened and that is where the problems start.
An influx is expected at emergency departments around the country - things like alcohol poisoning, broken bones, assault-related injuries all skyrocket on Crate Day as do ACC claims for 18 to 24-year-olds.
Alcohol Healthwatch says Crate Day is now seen as a rite of passage and bottle stores actively promote it.
It says despite ten years of reports on the country's binge-drinking culture, there's been little progress in changing it.
"Everyone in NZ talks about NZ having a bad drinking culture but they encourage Crate Day," one young student told Newshub.
Police say they're out enforcing local liquor bans and encouraging Crate Day goers to make sure every party has enough food and non-alcoholic drinks available.
Many intoxicated people thought this quite amusing.
"Great time get the BBQ out, which we haven't quite cranked up yet," one person told Newshub.
"I've got mince on toast in the kitchen, ha ha ha," another laughed.
It may be funny now, but 75 percent of Kiwis who develop alcohol use disorders will do so by the age of 25.
