A community's story: Otara Action Group
Making a plan for action
In 2006 the Manukau City Council reviewed their Gambling Venue Policy and held a community consultation process. We (the Otara Action Group - OGAG) decided to get to work and lobby the council for a more restrictive policy. We spent 18 months planning and coming up with strategies to get a “sinking-lid policy” introduced, which would mean no new pokie machines could be put in our community.
Getting key people behind us
We talked to ministers, managers, Kaumatua, people from WINZ and budgeting services, and other community leaders and we found that just about everyone thought that gambling did too much harm and wanted a sinking lid policy.
Raising awareness
A key activity we organised was the Rise Up concert in Otara. This raised awareness about gambling issues and brought together a whole lot of other social services. We also got the Mayor to come down and make a speech and got the media along. It was a really positive family day with free food and music, and there was also a good message behind it.
Getting our community’s voice heard
Lots of people didn’t want pokies, but they didn’t know how to get their voice heard.
Making it easy for people to be involved
We knew it was hard for the community to write submissions. We had to make it easy for people to understand the process and write their submission. We came up with a postcard that explained the gambling venue policy and what a "sinking-lid" policy would mean. All people had to do was fill out the form on the card if they supported a change in policy, and we posted them to the council for them.
We made ourselves and our cause known in the community. We went to churches, flea markets and anywhere else that would make our presence known in the community. We knew that once the council released their draft policy we only had four weeks to make our submissions, but we had already established lots of support from our community. We got more than 7,000 submissions. We presented the submissions to the council and the media came to show us doing it!
Facing opposition
We did get some opposition, particularly from the gambling industry who own the machines. They tried to discredit our submission, saying that we were exploiting or scaring people. They even sent letters to a number of community groups, such as budgeting and health services, who were supporting us. So be prepared for resistance!
The power of community voice
Communities can have such a powerful impact on policies. When we were successful, we were surprised – not that we had ‘won’, but by the support we got. The support wasn’t just from Otara - we had submissions from all over Manukau, and even got some from Christchurch and Dunedin.
Working alongside the community
We couldn’t just tell them what we wanted them to do. We involved them at every stage, so they felt like it was their own campaign. It wasn’t just something that individuals did, or that OGAG did – it was something our community did together.
Advice from the Otara Action Group about community action
Be prepared to work in the community for a long time. Some fly-by-night projects just don’t work. It took us a couple of years of work and it was something that really began building from 2003 (when the first review of gambling policy was undertaken). We did a lot of work in the community and believe we succeeded because the community felt part of the process and that the people running it were trustworthy. Getting the key community leaders on board was essential.
Be clear about what you want to accomplish
Have a plan. Clear objectives and goals should be set before starting anything. If you’re not sure what you’re doing, then the community won’t be sure what you want them to do.
Help getting started
To get help and support to do something in your community, contact the Problem Gambling Foundation. They can provide information and advice for individuals and community groups who want to take action.