Growing concern over the rapid rise of online gambling among young people has prompted community members to question political candidates about how they plan to address the issue.
According to a report by 1News, the discussion came as referrals for gambling-related help have tripled over the past three years, with some young people reportedly losing significant amounts of money.
People attending the community meeting voiced concerns about the growing accessibility and normalisation of online gambling.
One attendee criticised gambling platforms for targeting young people, saying: "To be targeting our young people is quite cruel", as quoted by 1News.
Another participant called for stronger oversight, saying: "It should be controlled, it should be taken seriously."
The candidates were also challenged over gambling-style mechanics appearing in video games and their potential impact on young people.
One audience member asked: "If we wouldn't let a child sit at a pokie machine, why are we ok with gambling mechanics being part of the games they're growing up playing?", 1News has quoted.
All three candidates said protecting rangatahi was a priority.
Fleming said recent law changes, which limit the number of offshore online casino licences in New Zealand to 15, would also introduce restrictions on advertising aimed at people under 25.
Menéndez March told the crowded room: "We are committed to ensuring we introduce prohibitions in advertisement", as quoted by 1News.
'Very heartbreaking'
According to 1News, figures from the Problem Gambling Foundation show that 44% of people aged 15 to 24 have tried online gambling, with 26,000 young people reported to have experienced gambling harm.
The foundation has responded by launching Touchgrass, described as the first national organisation providing specialist services for young people experiencing online gambling addiction.
Touchgrass clinical lead Frances Russell said the organisation was seeing serious cases involving young people losing large amounts of money and experiencing wider impacts on their wellbeing.
"Some of the worst cases is just young people losing very significant amounts of money, and seeing the pervasive impacts that has on their wellbeing is very heartbreaking," as quoted by 1News.
One of the young people involved in designing Touchgrass was Laga Jensen, who first tried gambling while studying at Otago University.
"The first time I saw gambling and actually did gambling was in the library on a study break with my mates," he said, 1News has quoted.
Jensen said the widespread acceptance of gambling could make it difficult for young people to recognise when their behaviour had become harmful.
"You don't really think it's a problem because it's so normalised, and nobody steps in and says stop," as quoted by 1News.
Asian Family Services counsellor Romy Lee also highlighted the impact on Asian communities, saying: "In terms of our Asian community, we know our Asian whānau in general are nine and a half times more likely to be harmed by gambling harm."
As the meeting ended, some attendees said they wanted to see concrete action rather than further promises.
One person said: "At this point it's more so just words."
Jensen said greater public awareness was needed to understand the scale of the issue.
"I don't think society properly has a grasp at the moment of how big of a problem it is", 1News has quoted.
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