SkyCity’s convention centre deal has attracted a great deal of controversy in Auckland. Residents, politicians and business owners oppose the plan, which will see the casino operator receive over 200 new pokies in return for building Auckland’s new convention centre. They believe that the deal could cause potential harm to the local community, and The Greens are planning a protest to express these concerns.
On Monday, October 14th, The Greens will build a cardboard casino in Auckland's Aotea Square. It will consist of 510 pokies, as well as player stations and gaming tables. The goal of the protest is to show residents just how many pokies will be located in the casino after the deal has been finalized.
The Greens believe that the new pokies and gaming tables that SkyCity will receive equal an entirely new casino, and that is the viewpoint that will be reflected in the protest. While pokies are not inherently harmful, the concern is that the scale of SkyCity’s expansion could be dangerous for problem gamblers. Residents are also disappointed that the deal was negotiated behind closed doors, without any input from the local community.
"We want to show New Zealanders the scale of what the Government has gifted to SkyCity – it's the equivalent of a whole new casino," says Greens Co-leader Metiria Turei. "SkyCity gets a whole new casino without having to go through any of the regulatory process required in law to set up a new casino”. The cardboard casino will be set up in Aotea Square from 7am to 6pm.
Residents are invited to visit the protest and write a message to the government on the cardboard pokies. After the protest, the games will be presented to the government as its own submission on the SkyCity convention centre deal.
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