The Wellington Mayor's admission of having an alcohol problem has shed light on a wider issue in New Zealand.
Tory Whanau spoke out about her addiction after an alleged drunken incident at an inner-city bar two weeks ago.
But she was lucky enough to get professional help at a time when others were having to wait for it.
In an interview with Newshub Nation earlier this year, Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau opened up about her drinking.
"I'm 40, I'm single, I love our hospitality scene and every couple of weeks I love to head out with my mates and hit a couple of bars," she said.
But the extent of Whanau's drinking wasn't known until this week when she admitted she has a problem with alcohol and is getting help.
"It's really great when people do come out and say they have an issue because they're not alone," said National Committee for Addiction Treatment (NCAT) co-chair Deb Fraser.
In fact the issue is so common in New Zealand. A recent survey found one in five Kiwis is a hazardous drinker.
That's putting immense pressure on the addiction sector's workforce.
"Some people might be seen in a week or two weeks, and others might have a lengthy wait, sometimes that can be several months or longer," Fraser said.
"We have a very wet drinking culture in New Zealand with the way it's advertised and marketed, and just the way it's sold, it's very permissive in New Zealand," Alcohol Healthwatch executive director Andrew Galloway added.
And with the sector also battling a worker shortage, it's prompted calls for the new Government to commit to better funding.
"It is going to be an ongoing initiative that the Government needs to address. It's very clear that the addiction sector's been under-resourced for a very long time, and needs to be resourced properly," Fraser said.
The new Mental Health Minister Matt Doocey put the blame on the last Government, saying in a statement that one of the biggest barriers to addiction support right now is the workforce crisis. He said reducing vacancy rates will be one of his key priorities.
A priority because alcohol addiction is a serious problem costing and consuming New Zealanders.
