Bar wins approval for pokies

Five pokies have been approved for Messines Bar and Restaurant in Featherston.

Despite opposition and a council gambling policy designed to limit the number of pokies in Wairarapa, they were approved by South Wairarapa District Council earlier this month.

The applicant, Prime Community Trust (PCT), originally asked for seven pokies and said they should be approved because of its "extenuating circumstances".

It would have been unfair not to grant their application, said Brian Jephson, councillor and member of the council's hearing committee, which made the final, unanimous decision.

"There was a technicality involved and the hearings committee had enough evidence that there was misinformation from the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA)," he said.

The committee acknowledged that gambling could cause harm but people opposing the pokies were unable to give specific evidence of the potential effects on the Featherston community.

Featherston currently has 24 machines and will now have 29.

Mr Jephson said the council took the "sinking lid" gambling policy into account by approving five, rather than seven, pokies.

Mike Topp, who runs Messines, took over the lease from the Featherston RSA in November last year, expecting to be able to run the pokies.

The RSA had a licence to operate the pokies but ran into financial trouble and didn't renew its licence with the DIA in July 2012.

In November last year, PCT contacted the DIA and was incorrectly told the licence was still active.

PCT reapplied to the DIA in February this year - technically outside the six-month period required to keep the "existing venue" status.

Under the Gambling Venues Policy Messines is considered a new venue and new gambling venues are not allowed.

Mr Jephson said PCT's application met the policy's "extraordinary circumstances" exception.

Claire McLennon-Kissel from Regional Public Health, who opposed the application, said the issue was about the fact the operations had stopped, not the licensing.

Mr Topp said it shouldn't matter whether the machines were on or off, it was about the licence.

He said the policy was ridiculous and he had been through a "rigmarole" just to turn the pokies back on.

He said he was grateful to be allowed the five pokies but he had lost potential revenue.

"They bring in bums on seats.

"I could have had people sitting there, it's cost me quite a lot of money."

He said the licence had been delayed because of the DIA and the council.

Mr Jephson said the confusion over when the licence had expired had delayed the licensing application.

In an oral submission to the council, Aiden Broughton from CareNZ said the pokies caused more harm than good and targeted low-income earners.

Ministry of Health research shows that the probability of becoming a problem gambler is statistically higher the closer the access and availability to gambling venues.

Mr Topp said it was a totally different market coming to his venue.

"What people don't understand is we are a club, we don't get the solo mums, alcoholics, drug abusers, I've never seen these types of people in here."

He said he provided the pokies as entertainment and only a small minority became addicted.

"99 per cent of people are regular Joe Bloggs, they have discretionary income, they come in for a meal or a drink and whether they bet on the pokies, TAB, or a fly on the wall, it's entertainment."

He said in his case, there weren't actually any new machines in the district.

People should be more worried about online gambling as his bar was a monitored, safe environment, Mr Topp said.

Consent to put nine pokies at Masterbowl is being considered by Masterton District Council.