Peer support strengthens harm reduction by focusing on empowerment, not control. The goal is to help people regain agency over their gambling behaviour and improve overall wellbeing—whether through reducing harm, managing triggers, or working toward abstinence.

• Recognise triggers and times of risk.

• Support safe, transparent money habits.

• Encourage self-exclusion as empowerment.

• Talk openly about urges, relapse, and hope.

Always remember: Harm reduction works best through partnership, not pressure.

• Understand gambling cultures: Learn about different gambling types (Casino, pokies, sports betting, online gambling, TAB) and how they affect people differently.​

• Recognise triggers and high-risk situations: Help tangata whai ora identify personal triggers (stress, boredom, social settings, payday) and develop strategies to manage them.​

• Support financial safety: Connect people to budgeting services and financial counselling. Help them understand financial risks without managing money directly. Encourage strategies like limiting cash access and using prepaid cards.​

• Promote Multi-Venue Exclusion (MVE) as empowerment: Frame Multi-Venue Exclusion as a tool for reclaiming control, not punishment. Support people through the process and celebrate this courageous step.​

• Encourage open conversation about urges and relapse: Normalise that recovery isn't linear. Create safe spaces to discuss setbacks, cravings, and struggles without shame.​

• Recognise co-occurring challenges: Be aware of mental health issues, substance use, and other challenges that interact with gambling. Know when and how to refer to appropriate services.

Every conversation is about reconnection, not restriction:​

• Build trust through shared experience and non-judgmental support.

• Offer practical tools: self-exclusion, apps, budgeting templates, trigger logs.

• Support whānau and aiga involvement when appropriate.

• Connect to community resources and peer support networks.

• Celebrate small milestones and incremental progress.

• Hold hope, even when the person struggles to see it themselves.

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