Flavell Te Ururoa: Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 3) — Second ReadingThird Reading 
Flavell Te Ururoa: Subordinate Legislation (Confirmation and Validation) Bill (No 3) — Second ReadingThird Reading 
[Volume:643;Page:13226] 
TE URUROA FLAVELL (Maori Party—Waiariki) 
: 
 Kia ora Madam Assistant Speaker. Kia ora tatou katoa. I am told that every Wednesday morning somewhere deep in the precincts of Parliament an industrious committee is faced with about a 60-minute marathon in which a demanding schedule of regulations is put through the most rigorous parliamentary scrutiny. Regulations acting as the legal instrument of Parliament are examined by the Regulations Review Committee in so far as regulations demonstrate points of detail in the implementation of policy. The bill before us is small. It has only 15 clauses all up but as is typical with subordinate legislation it contains a range of varied items of lawmaking of interest to the Maori Party. Indeed there is a smorgasbord of choice—an entrée of fish; supplemented with road-user charges animal products for meat-lovers and chancing one’s arm with a main meal of gambling. But as with every smorgasbord some items on the menu do not always please the palate. Having previously had our venerable co-leader Dr Sharples speak on this bill on 11 October and with his absence from the House today I thought I would take the opportunity to add some spice to the smorgasbord laid before the House. 
I note that the Regulations Review Committee was satisfied with the responses of officials with regard to this bill and recommended it be passed without amendment. So the menu for the smorgasbord is actually a set menu and has been confirmed. That being the case I will move directly to commence a discussion on the main dish rather than tempt the palate with the entrée. The dish I have chosen is gambling. The Maori Party is pleased that the levies imposed will assist in building capacity to deal with the ravages of gambling in our communities particularly in the communities of the poor. Let me remind us all that for every $1 received by a community group as a grant through pokie machines $3 has already been taken. We agree with the Green member Sue Bradford about the disproportionate manner in which casinos pubs and clubs are levied. We were also heartened to hear Maryan Street say that the gambling levy would be reviewed in 18 months as opposed to 3 years. 
We know that the communities of the poor are not necessarily the communities that receive anywhere near the money taken from them. If members check out who gets the bulk of these community grants they will see that it is not the Otaras Mangeres Ford Blocks Bell Blocks or Cannons Creeks of our society nor is it the service organisations or sports clubs in the communities of the poor. 
This brings me to the issue of gambling amongst Maori. We know from the work of the Problem Gambling Foundation that Maori have serious issues with gambling. I want to take this opportunity to address that issue. We know from the research that pre-European Maori society did not have traditions of gambling. It is fair to say that the early Maori experience of gambling with the settlers was generally positive. Gambling then involved group interaction with the outcome—that is the profits generated—directly benefiting the participants. The participants were in control and the profits from the activities directly benefited their marae church and community. I myself remember card games—especially euchre and 500—and housie. Those games were the special fund-raisers. Fun was had by all. The profits went to the marae choir local school or kapa haka group. Elder relatives I have spoken to do not recollect ever being aware of problem gamblers as a result of those activities. If issues arose—particularly those of child neglect—as a result of those activities group pressure was brought to bear to address the situation. 
Songs were composed. I remember very clearly a song composed by Professor Hirini Moku Mead relating to an all-night card game and a sober warning of children being neglected as a result. As some members might have heard before it goes something like this: “Tahi rua e toru roimata; wha rima e ono roimata; ka whitu ka waru ka iwa roimata; kei whea ra mama?”. 
[ 
One two three teardrops; four five six teardrops; seven eight nine teardrops; where oh where is mum? 
] 
That was a beautiful rendition I thought. What the song is actually asking—besides counting—is after all these tears where mum is. 
I also know that betting on horses was another activity where the benefits were individualised and the profits left the Maori communities in which the TABs were situated. Again this was a social activity as relatives would sit outside the TAB sharing dreams disclosing losses from the week and casting aspersions on the whakapapa of the horses that did not win. Needless to say it was great wonder—and often a misplaced sense of matakite—that led many of my relatives to go on about how they picked a winner by the interpretation of dreams. It seems that anybody’s dream counted. Some used to make up dreams for uncles and aunties. That was all part of the fun. Every dream had a winner and post-race analysis always managed to find that winner—the fault being with the interpretation of the dream. 
Although I am referring to what was seen as fun the current situation with Maori and gambling is no longer a laughing matter. Statistics from the Gambling Helpline in 2005 indicated that Maori were overrepresented—29.4 percent of new clients were Maori; 12.1 percent of significant others phoning the helpline were Maori; in face-to-face counselling 31.4 percent of new clients were Maori; 35 percent of new clients were Maori men; and 22.9 percent of significant others seeking counselling were Maori. Pokies were the prime mode of problem gambling for men at 72.6 percent and for women at 90.8 percent. In the 4 weeks prior to seeking help 401 clients spent $573125. That is an average of $1429 each which is $357 per week. That is a problem. 
It is with these statistics from the Problem Gambling Foundation that we in the Maori Party alert this House to the devastation caused by access to gambling—particularly access to pokie machines and the effect they can have on whanau. The research shows that for every problem gambler five other people are negatively affected. 
We are supportive of this bill but we caution that as is the case with tobacco smoking we in the Maori Party take very seriously the damage to whanau done by gambling and especially the one-armed bandits robbing people in the name of entertainment and for the good of the community apparently. In ending all I can say is that members should watch this space.