Press Release for Tuesday 18th October 2016

Dollars and Sense – Community Action to Address Problem Gambling

Hāpai Te Hauora, the voice for community action on the Minimisation and Prevention of Gambling Harm, are calling for decision makers to ensure money is returned to those communities who are contributing the most to pokie machines revenue. This will ensure communities with higher numbers of pokie machines are better resourced to combat the social issues created by the generating of funding for the nation.

The rates gambling harm and increasing expenditure on pokies has to Māori and Pacific gamblers are around four times more likely to be affected by gambling harm that the total population. The over-representation of Māori and Pacific people in the group of problem gamblers seeking help also is also reflected in the gambling service user data. Despite the odds, Māori and Pacific public health teams are working hard to reduce stigma and build robust community centred responses to addressing gambling harm.

Hāpai were instrumental in the creation of Te Ngira, the Auckland based Gambling Harm collective formed in 2009 that focusses strongly on raising awareness of gambling harm within communities and supporting community led responses to addressing that harm. An annual highlight for this Auckland collective is to support Gamble Free Awareness week, previously the Public Health Gamble Free event was a one day event alongside other community organisation. This year was a week-long event that included promoting the “Choice not Chance” messages, sharing community-inspired statements to help those affected by gambling and celebrating community groups who are ‘gamble free’ and proud.

Māori Public Health Advocate, Suaree Borell says “It’s important to remember that these community groups are leading the challenge to say No to Funding gained from the pockets of the poor. It’s crucial that we understand these are the conversations for change that will lead to sustainable action and healthier Māori and Pacific communities, less affected by gambling harm”.

South Auckland Community Netball Group, Supa 10 Sports, has taken a stand against funding derived from pokie machines since 2013, strongly advocating that this money is coming from the pockets of their own whānau and out of the mouths of their own tamariki. Chairperson Hira Tawhai-Tupou said “We see a huge number of tamariki in South Auckland not being able to undertake extra curriculum activities such as netball, it costs to buy the necessary sports gear and pay the registration fees, which many families struggle to afford anyway, let alone those with a gambling addiction”. Mrs. Tawhai-Tupou has been working alongside Hāpai to undertake development of her club to expand in the future, taking with it the message that “Healthy Whānau are Gamblefree Whānau”

Just under $14.5 million dollars was spent in the last 3 months on EGMs (aka Pokies) in the four regions with the highest amount of EGMs in Auckland. Manukau and Manurewa by region have the most EGMS and accounted for approximately $8.5 million of the total spent on EGMs. We want to see a significant re-investment into the communities that is losing this exorbitant amount of money, to address inequalities for these high need communities where Homelessness, Poverty, Justice, Social and Educational issues are prevalent.

Hapai has called for more national and regional support for community-led programmes in gambling public health, with the increasing attention on levels of gambling harm and the cost it has to society it is important to remember that communities are the catalyst for motivating behaviour change and setting new norms for their members.
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