Alcohol-fuelled displays of poor behaviour on the streets of London are a result of a Kiwi culture that encourages drinking to excess, an alcohol specialist says.
Alcohol Advisory Council chief executive Gerard Vaughan says the antics of some participants in the annual Waitangi Day pub crawl in London are just what they have learned back home.
Former Wellingtonian Dylan Clements, now working in London as a travel agent, filed a complaint with New Zealand High Commissioner Derek Leask, saying the drunken antics of the Kiwis who took to the city's streets on Saturday brought "great shame" on New Zealand.
Mr Clements says he saw pub crawl participants urinating and vomiting on famous landmarks, including Westminster Abbey and the Jewel Tower, and exposing themselves indecently on the street.
Mr Vaughan says drinking to get drunk has become an acceptable part of New Zealand culture.
"We've adopted rituals where alcohol is integral," he told the Dominion Post.
"The whole purpose of the interaction is to drink a lot."
The organisers of the pub crawl have disputed Mr Clements claims, saying police made no arrests and rated the day a success.
The complaint has also drawn criticism on the event's Facebook page.
About 4000 people are reported to have taken part in the pub crawl, which is now in its 13th year.
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