Last week the Rawene Masonic Hotel, situated in Northland, issued a notice on their Facebook page that they would be
removing all gaming machines from their venue. The decision came in the wake of an event in which a young girl had left
her child in a baby capsule outside while she entered the establishment to play on the gaming machines. After hearing
similar stories, the owners of the establishment commented that "If these gaming machines can influence people to this
kind of behaviour, then we want nothing to do with it and we hope that we have the support from our community." Hāpai Te
Hauora would like to extend support to the young mother, and also to congratulate the actions of the owners who
recognise the harm that gambling machines can do, especially when placed in vulnerable communities.
This comes after figures released by the Department of Internal Affairs show 32.8 million dollars came out of Northland
in 2017, an increase of 1.1 million dollars from the previous year. The Problem Gambling Foundation noted that per
person poorer communities have access to more than 6 times the number of pokie machines than those in wealthier
communities. Hāpai recognises the need for a massive overhaul to reduce the effects of health inequity especially where
high exposure to gambling venues is concerned. In the meantime, Hāpai would like to encourage and offer support to other
gaming venues who are considering the gambling related harm in their communities, and would like to take action by
removing gaming machines, or investing further in host responsibility.
Ngā Manga Pūriri, who provide gambling support services in Northland have also offered to support venues that are
considering removing their machines or looking to improve their ability to meet their host responsibilities. Host
responsibility is an important role that enables venue staff to recognise signs of distress related to gambling
addiction and prompts them to intervene and offer the necessary support.