The Poutiri Wellness Centre billboard in Te Puke's town centre.
The Poutiri Wellness Centre billboard in Te Puke's town centre.
Poutiri Wellness Centre has put its town-centre street frontage to good use.
A massive billboard on the shopfront of its under-renovation premises carries the message that $29,435 is lost from Te Puke every day through gambling.
It’s a staggering amount – well over $200,000 a week.
But why is the message there?
Aside from highlighting the amounts involved, it and other signs are also getting the message out that there is help in Te Puke for those struggling with the impact of gambling addiction.
The service is provided by Poutiri through a Health NZ initiative.
Chief executive Kirsty Maxwell-Crawford says throughout the country, health providers are being given the chance to be more active in supporting those negatively affected, directly or indirectly, by gambling.
“We were really thrilled to be able to have dedicated team members to be able to support in this area because there hasn’t been anything available in Te Puke for quite some time.”
She says gambling can be an outcome of other struggles.
“Also, it’s not just about the money that’s spent, although that is a significant practical issue, it’s also the time and energy that goes away from investing in family and mahi [work] and other activities.”
Lived experience paeārahi Jayanna Edge (right) with Poutiri administrator Te Arahiora Farrell.
Photo / Poutiri Wellness Centre
Jayanna Edge has come on board as a lived experience paeārahi (navigator).
Jayanna used to gamble online, so has first-hand experience of the damage it can cause.
“One night I spent $2000-$3000 of my savings online gambling and had to ring the crisis line because I went into a bad mental state about it,” she says.
Some help was available through Poutiri’s Mana Maia programme, but for specific help with gambling, she had to travel to Tauranga.
In one session with her Mana Maia kai mahi (counsellor) she realised she had squandered $17,000 in the previous month.
“That was a penny-dropped moment – I thought, ‘that’s a house deposit for me and my children’.”
The distance to Tauranga proved to be a barrier to getting gambling-specific help, but Poutiri’s programmes have been instrumental in her beating the addiction.
“I had a kōrero with Kirsty and said that in Te Puke, in my lived experience, there was nothing around for gambling, so that’s how I’ve come into this beautiful role.”
She says gambling is part of the culture of Te Puke.
“It’s not seen as a problem, which is sad. Now it’s actually part of the meth culture and part of the meth use. And it’s a gateway to other addictions too.”
In the modern world, it is also a hidden addiction.
“You can see the effects of alcohol and drugs, but a gambling addiction isn’t seen.”
It’s no longer a case of parents leaving the kids in the car while they play the pokies.
“It can be right next to them, in the home. And everyone’s on social media now and there are promotions going on through that avenue too.”
Kirsty says Poutiri has a range of support available “because everyone’s situation is different”.
“We have a counsellor, we have Jayanna as a lived experience navigator and we have whānau support for when the financial side has really got to a very difficult situation.”
The service is also available for family and friends affected by others’ gambling.
“It’s also about understanding there are algorithms online and a whole system behind it making sure that the wins are often small and the losses are often big.”
She says Jayanna is an asset to the service.
“She’s walked that path and now she’s really passionate about supporting others who might be feeling trapped in the cycle of gambling.”
■ Gambling-related harm is an ongoing health issue with significant consequences for social and economic wellbeing.
■ Gambling is a form of entertainment, but for many people and their whānau it can become a problem. Negative effects on individuals and within communities can be widespread. About 186,000 people in New Zealand are personally affected by gambling harm.
■ About 61,000 people are gambling with moderate or more serious levels of harm. This is equivalent to the population of Rotorua.
■ A further 125,000 people are likely to be experiencing at least some level of harm and are at risk of more severe harm in the future.
■ To reach out call 0800 TAUTOKO or send a text to 8006.
