The Cyclone Gabrielle Lotto draw will take place on Saturday, March 18, with 50 cents in every dollar spent by players on Lotto, Powerball or Strike going to support those affected by the devastating storm.
“Lotto New Zealand is fundamentally driven to raise funds for our communities,” Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds said.
“With the help of generous New Zealanders, relief organisations and those affected will be supported to recover and rebuild.”
Hipkins said supporting the Lotto draw is “a great way of showing we’ve got each other’s backs, supporting those who’ve had their lives upended and so desperately need their communities rebuilt”.
He was unsure how much the jackpot would be worth, saying it depended on the number of tickets sold.
Andree Froude, the director of marketing and communications for Problem Gambling NZ, worries about using a gambling operator for community fundraising because it normalises gambling, which causes a lot of harm in communities.
“When times are tough, they will often turn to gambling as a way of trying to win big as a solution to get out of whatever situation they might be in,” Froude said.
“I understand Facebook is going to be promoting it. That will serve to normalise it, particularly for young people.”
Froude said it was “disappointing” to see the Government using a gambling operator for community funding, considering how much harm gambling does to the communities themselves.
“We really want to be disassociating gambling from community funding because it causes harm to communities.”
Green Party finance spokeswoman Julie Anne Genter also shot back at the fundraising scheme, and questioned why the Government couldn’t instead “tax the billions of dollars banks have made in unearned, excess profits and use the money to support people”.
“While Westpac and other foreign-owned banks are generating record profits, thousands of families are being forced to make impossible choices about whether to pay the bills or put food on the table,” Genter said.
She added that lotteries and gambling disproportionately harmed lower-income communities.
“Launching the appeal fund, the Prime Minister said the Government was ‘giving wealthy people the opportunity to contribute’. There is a simpler opportunity: Tax them fairly.”
But Wairoa mayor Craig Little welcomed the initiative, saying the Lotto draw was a “wonderful idea”.
“I think it is a great initiative to kick something off,” Little said.
Lotto NZ chief executive Chris Lyman is “very proud” to be holding the fundraiser to support the people and communities affected by Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Like all New Zealanders, our hearts go out to the communities that have suffered the devastating impact of Cyclone Gabrielle – and we want to do all we can to help,” Lyman said.
“Raising money for the community is Lotto NZ’s fundamental purpose, and so we welcome the opportunity to support recovery efforts by raising funds through this special draw.
“We know our customers are equally keen to pull together for their fellow Kiwis, and this draw gives them an opportunity to do that.”
Little said that short term, the money raised from the Lotto draw, the global fundraising appeal and other community initiatives such as the mayoral relief fund and Givealittle pages will be used to get those displaced back into liveable homes.
“The long-term goal is looking at how we can ensure it never happens again,” the Wairoa mayor said, although he doesn’t know what that will look like at this stage.
“It certainly can’t carry on like this.”
Little said his biggest concern at this stage was the Government “keeping their promises” when it comes to funding for flood-stricken communities.
“They’re doing enough as long as they keep their promises,” he said.
“My biggest worry is that in two or three weeks we will be on our own again.
“The only way we can get through this is money.”
The Lotto draw was announced alongside an international fundraising appeal, which includes a website, a text-to-donate function and an internet banking scheme, as well as physical cash donations at banks across the country.
“We want to make contributing as easy as possible,” Edmonds said.
The Prime Minister said the affected regions accounted for around 30 per cent of New Zealand’s land area, and the appeal would focus on the medium- to long-term recovery projects which ensure those areas built back better with greater resilience and were better prepared to withstand the next extreme weather event.
“We will be looking at how we can harness both the public and private sectors to get in behind the appeal, making the most of our international connections as well as looking to fundraising efforts here at home too,” Hipkins said.
Donations can be made at:
- Appeal website: www.cycloneappeal.govt.nz
- TXT GIVE to 2454 to donate $3 to the Cyclone Appeal
- Internet banking: Cyclone Gabrielle Appeal Fund, 03 0251 0040146 00
- Over the counter at all trading banks.
