Hawke’s Bay was closely followed by Wellington ($65.32 per person) and the Gisborne District ($61.95).
Hawke’s Bay is also outpacing the average increase in spend per pokie machine across New Zealand, with GMP per machine increasing by 52.2 per cent since March 2015 in Hawke’s Bay, compared to a 44.9 per cent increase over that same period across the entire country.
Near the start of 2015 there were 48 venues with 709 pokie machines in Hawke’s Bay - this compares to 41 venues and 640 machines at the start of 2024.
Cath Healey, general manager for Te Rangihaeata Oranga (the Hawke’s Bay gambling recovery service), said she had only seen the amount lost to pokies increase in her time at the trust, outside of Covid lockdowns.
“Our community is saturated with the pokies,” she said.
“Even from our office, you can walk 500 metres up the street and there are venues to gamble at.
“It is like trying to stop eating chocolate but you have cupboards full of chocolate. It is just near impossible.”
She described the machines as “an addiction by design”.
“There are no personal faults or deficits in the people we work with. They are beautiful people and they are just trying to get by,” she said.
“We know that as with any form of addiction, something else is going on in their lives.”
Healey said she had found the best method to help with addiction to pokie machines was multi-venue exclusions.
“It is a legally binding document that is part of the Gambling Act 2003. What that allows us to do is help our people disconnect from gambling. They sign up for this process, they get a photo taken, they sign that this is what they want and they can exclude themselves from the actual pokie venue for anywhere up to two years,” she said.
“We have a lot of people who come in, put those in place and they go off and live their best life.”
Of the four territorial authorities in Hawke’s Bay, Napier had the worst losses on pokie machines, per capita, over that three month period.
A Napier City Council spokesperson said the council had a role in regulating the number and locations of gaming machines through its Gambling Venues Policy, which was up for review this year.
Mayor Kirsten Wise said the council adopted a “Sinking Lid policy” in 2021 to control the location of class 4 gambling and TAB board venues, address the cumulative effects additional opportunities for gambling could present the community, curb the growth of gambling and minimise community harm.
“The sinking lid policy that council adopted in 2021 strikes the right balance between restraining the increase in problem gambling and its effects on our city, while at the same time ensuring there is no immediate impact on businesses or reduction in grants available to fund charities and community projects.”
Hawke’s Bay pokie losses from January 1 to March 31 by district
$11,509,432.35 in Hawke’s Bay overall
Napier- $5,369,230.16 or $79.54 per person
Hastings- $5,147,683.17 or $56.01 per person
Wairoa- $506,386.28 or $57.37 per person
CHB- $486,132.74 or $31.40 per person.
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on the environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
