Pokies' ratio prompts focus

The community spirit of the Hammerhead MMA-Olympic Gym complex in Mosgiel will form the basis of...
The community spirit of the Hammerhead MMA-Olympic Gym complex in Mosgiel will form the basis of 2016 Problem Gambling Awareness Week activities, say (from left) Oasis Centre team leader Chris Watkins, Hammerhead representative Gary Chalklin and Te Roopu Tautoko Ki Te Tonga co-ordinator Jerry Banse. Photo: Brenda Harwood

The high ratio of ‘‘pokies’’ to the population of Mosgiel has made the area the focus of 2016 Problem Gambling Awareness Week, which runs from September 5 to 11.

In a collaborative project with Maori health and ocial services provider Te Roopu Tautoko Ki Te Tonga and the Salvation Army’s Oasis Centre, Mosgiel’s Hammerhead MMA-Olympic Gym complex will open its doors to the public. Free community sessions will be offered this Saturday and Sunday at the gym complex, along with a range of activities throughout the week.

Oasis Centre team leader Chris Watkins said the ability of the Hammerhead MMA-Olympic Gym complex to connect with people from all walks of life made it the ideal space for Problem Gambling Awareness Week events.

‘The focus for the campaign is ‘whanau time’ — we want to promote time spent with whanau instead of time lost to gambling,’’ Mr Watkins said.

‘Hammerhead are well known for the support they give to their members and the local community, and for raising awareness of issues affecting their community,’’ he said.

Hammerhead MMA complex representative Gary Chalklin said it was a privilege to be working with the two social services agencies, which had been ‘‘helping out people from all walks of life for a long time’’.

‘‘To have a partnership with these organisations is awesome, because it means we can help get their message out there and expand on the work we are doing already,’’ he said.

Hammerhead was like a family, where people were able to get away from the pressures of everyday life and ‘‘do something good for themselves’’, he said.

Te Roopu Tautoko Ki Te Tonga co-ordinator Jerry Banse said working with the gym was ideal for the campaign, because Hammerhead had high levels of trust and loyalty within its community.

‘‘As health providers, we see people who are a long way down the track towards needing help.

‘Groups like Hammerhead are already out there inthe community doing positive things, and their ability to deliver the message to their members and the wider whanau is very powerful,’’ he said.

The eventual goal of the partnership was to develop a referral process, where a champion of the club could refer clients to the available network of services if required, he said.

‘‘Our hope is that we can reach individuals and their whanau/ families in the early stages of a crisis.’’

Mr Watkins said Mosgiel had been targeted for Problem Gambling Awareness Week activities because of its high ratio of poker machines for its population of 12,500 and few services to provide support. About 60 poker machines were available across five venues in the Mosgiel area, which took about $2.5 million out of the community each year.

'‘People think they are just a bit unlucky if they lose money on the pokies,’’ Mr Watkins 

‘‘But we know that ifyou play the pokies for long enough, you get hooked on them.’’

During Problem Gambling Awareness Week, the gym complex, based at 7 Gladstone Rd South in Mosgiel, will display information about the campaign, and representatives of Te Roopu and the Oasis Centre will be available to work with people.

• For information about free public sessions during the week, search for Team Hammerhead MMA on Facebook.

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