‘Blood money’ vital funding, groups say

Funding from poker machine profits has been described as ‘‘blood money’’, but a number of Taranaki clubs and community organisations say they couldn’t operate without it.

In the year ended July 31, 2017 the NZ Communities Trust returned more than $1.1 million to the New Plymouth district and in October approved another $365,717 in grants to support 23 local groups.

Taranaki’s medical officer of health Jonathan Jarman said some groups had described the funding as ‘‘blood money’’ and said pokies were considered the most harmful form of gambling. He wanted to see the number of machines in the community reduced.

Dave Cooper, chairman of the Basketball Taranaki Assn, which received $50,000, said while he couldn’t speak for the entire organisation, he personally didn’t agree with the source of the funding, but it was vital for the promotion of the sport in the region.

‘‘I don’t like the fact that the money comes from poker machines and people spending money that they can’t afford to,’’ Cooper said.

‘‘All we can do is to try and get away from it as quickly as we can by getting things in place and getting them so they are running and they are self-funding.’’

Cooper said hopefully the grant would be used to fund some paid positions to help administer basketball in the province.

Cooper said without the NZCT grant the organisation couldn’t survive at present.

‘‘We are always working towards, hopefully, getting to a stage where we don’t have to apply for funding.’’

The Egmont A&P Association was granted $50,000 by NZCT last month.

Executive committee president David Turner acknowledged the social harm poker machines caused.

‘‘It’s serious, I can see it’s a hell of a problem,’’ Turner said.

‘‘I don’t think I approve of people going and using these machines but the only positive I can put on it is at least we are putting it to good use, the community is benefiting from that money.

‘‘By rights it would be better for the families if it (the funding) wasn’t there at all.’’

Turner said without the grant the organisation, which catered for 60 different user groups and thousands of people annually, would have to look at cutting staff hours or changing the way it operated.

Russell Wilson, chairman of the Taranaki Cricket Association, which received $90,000 in October, said the grant was crucial for the organisation.

‘‘We are reliant on that funding to continue to fund cricket in Taranaki to the level that we do,’’ Wilson said.

‘‘There is no doubt that if this money was not available we would have to reduce our level of support to local cricket.

‘‘Player numbers and player development would suffer.’’

Wilson said the TCA was always looking out for other funding sources had a policy of seeking to reduce its reliance on gaming trust funding but would continue to use it as long as it was available.

‘‘By promoting a team sport such as cricket we are helping our children and young adults become better and healthier people.’’

He didn’t agree with the funding being described as ‘‘blood money’’ and said it was unfortunate that the anti-gambling lobby used the term.

‘‘We accept that a portion of people who use gaming machines develop into problem gamblers.

‘‘However the use of gaming machines is a legitimate, legal and well controlled leisure activity.

‘‘At the end of the day, it’s not the machines that cause the harm, it’s the way that people use them.’’

Craig Williamson, CEO of Surfing Taranaki, which received $36,000, agreed, saying the machines were a well-controlled form of entertainment.

‘‘They are legal and not everyone who uses them will become addicted.’’