It has been a long and arduous battle for MP Te Ururoa Flavell, but his Harm Minimisation Bill has finally been passed. For the past year, he has contended with federal politicians over the terms of his bill, and there was even speculation that the legislation would be scrapped. However, the Harm Minimisation Bill has finally passed its third reading, a major win for the Maori Party.

The bill will change the way in which poker machines are regulated in New Zealand. Pokie trusts will be required to donate more gaming machine profits back into the community while enabling venues to relocate their pokies from low-income areas. The community supported the original terms of the bill, but the federal government was not particular impressed.

A select committee presented a number of amendments to the Harm Minimisation Bill, resulting in it being ‘watered down’. As such, many New Zealand-based responsible gambling groups pulled their support and requested that Flavell withdraw. However, he continued to push and did not give up his mission of having the bill passed.

Over 30 000 submissions were made, and the bill that was passed does not exactly resemble the original legislation – but Flavell is pleased with the result. “I truly believe that the bill takes steps towards minimising the harm done to communities by gambling,” writes Flavell. “The provisions around local distribution and harm minimisation technology are still in the bill, only the mechanism is a little bit different”.

While the bill has been changed from its original form, it will still go a long way to helping reduce problem gambling rates across the country. It will also help to increase transparency with regards to pokie grant donations, to ensure that rightful causes are receiving assistance from poker machine profits.

About the Author

George Anderson
Author George, has over 25+ years’ experience in the Pokies and Casinos industry throughout Australia and New Zealand. Loves to research new Pokies games on the block and follows announcements from top industry providers about their upcoming releases. As soon as a new interesting pokie game appears on his radar, George is there to check it out and give you the scoop before anyone else and tell you about all casino sites where can play the latest game. Before this gig, George worked as Pokie game tester, making him an ideal candidate for this genre of work. He is also an animal lover and a proud owner of three dogs.