Source: Hapai Te Hauora
Hāpai Te Hauora, in collaboration with Te Rangihaeata Oranga Trust and Poutiri Charitable Trust, has launched a bold new campaign and digital platform to tackle gambling harm in Aotearoa.
The campaign features two ads – Their House Always Wins and The Game is Rigged, Don’t Get Played – highlighting how the gambling industry is designed to keep people hooked. Alongside the ads, the new digital platform Pātea provides a first-of-its-kind tool to help whānau pause, reflect on gambling behaviours, and connect with support.
Speakers at the launch described gambling as a silent harm – often hidden from view but deeply felt by whānau. The kaupapa is already gaining traction online, with comments calling it “super important kaupapa,” “powerful, creative, relatable,” and “hard truth.”
Jason Alexander, Chief Operating Officer at Hāpai Te Hauora, said both the campaign and the app are about rebalancing power towards whānau.
“These two things are both important to help shift the balance back towards whānau. Firstly, a campaign to help whānau understand the harm from gambling – it’s not just harmless fun. And then the Pātea, our digital app to give them some tools to help them get through any harms they’re suffering from.”
Jessikha Makoare, General Manager of Hāpai Te Hauora, said the campaign comes at a critical time as gambling exposure for tamariki and whānau is set to increase.
“Our tamariki and whānau are already exposed to gambling harms, and with new regulations allowing advertising and up to 15 more online casino licences, this will only get worse. The new normal we need to see is a collective understanding that gambling is harmful – and that the industry is operating exactly as it was intended to.”
The campaign was created by Mahitahi Agency in partnership with Hāpai Te Hauora, Te Rangihaeata Oranga Trust, and Poutiri Charitable Trust.
With gambling losses in Aotearoa sitting at over $2.6 billion each year, Māori and Pasifika continue to be disproportionately affected. Hāpai Te Hauora says the campaign is about reframing the conversation away from individual blame and toward system-level accountability, while equipping communities with tools to resist and reclaim control. For more information, to view the campaign videos or to try the Pātea app, visit: https://hapai.co.nz/gamblingharm/
