Pokies in Wairoa: Venues and Gaming Machines

At the end of June 2026, 3 venues in Wairoa held licences for 40 gaming machines (pokies), according to the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA). A year earlier the district had 3 venues and 40 machines, the same number of venues. Below is every licensed pokie venue in Wairoa, with its address, venue type and number of machines, followed by what players lost on those machines.

Pokie venues in Wairoa

Venue and addressTypeMachines
Sunset Point Tavern
2 Ratau Street, Mahia 4198
Tavern8
Clyde Sports Bar
162 Marine Parade, Wairoa 4108
Hotel18
Wairoa Club
Marine Parade, Wairoa, Hawkes Bay 4192
Commercial Club14

Venues by suburb or town: Wairoa (2), Mahia (1). 1 of the 3 venues run the maximum of 18 machines. 1 of the 3 venues is a club (RSA, sports, cosmopolitan or similar); the rest are pubs, hotels, TAB venues and other commercial premises. The Gambling Act 2003 caps a pub or club at 18 machines, and venues first licensed after 17 October 2001 at 9 unless the Minister approved more.

How much players lose on pokies in Wairoa

Players in Wairoa lost $544,195 on pub and club pokies in the April-June 2026 quarter, up 0.8% on $540,129 in April-June 2025. Over the four quarters to June 2026 the total was $2.1 million (down 6.7% on the previous four quarters). Across New Zealand the figure for the same quarter was $267.1 million, so Wairoa accounted for 0.2% of national pokie losses outside casinos.

QuarterGaming machine profits
Jul-Sep 2024$594,638
Oct-Dec 2024$613,436
Jan-Mar 2025$532,534
Apr-Jun 2025$540,129
Jul-Sep 2025$568,004
Oct-Dec 2025$545,120
Jan-Mar 2026$471,299
Apr-Jun 2026$544,195

Who runs the machines and where the money goes

Pokies in pubs and clubs are class 4 gambling. Only a corporate society, such as a community trust or a club, can hold the licence, and the profit after tax and costs must go to authorised purposes such as community grants. In Wairoa the main licence holders are First Light Community Foundation Limited (2), WAIROA CLUB (INCORPORATED) (1).

More pokie venues in Hawke’s Bay

Napier (19) · Hastings (15) · Central Hawke’s Bay (2) · All of New Zealand

Before you play

If gambling is costing more than you planned, the Gambling Helpline is free and open 24/7 on 0800 654 655 or by free text to 8006. Under section 310 of the Gambling Act 2003 a venue manager must, when you ask, issue an exclusion order that bars you from the gambling area of that venue for up to 2 years. More options are on our gambling help page.

Prefer to play from home? Our online pokies guide explains how online pokies differ from pub machines, and our gambling law page covers what is legal in New Zealand.

Source: Department of Internal Affairs, Quarterly List of Venues and Gaming Machines (June 2026) and Class 4 Gambling Expenditure by Quarter and District, published on data.govt.nz. Gaming machine profits (GMP) are the amounts players put into the machines minus the prizes paid out, before tax and grants. Opening hours are not part of the DIA data; check with the venue.

Gambling Responsibility

Gambling is meant to be a form of entertainment—not a way to make money. Always play responsibly: set personal limits, stick to your budget, and avoid chasing losses. If you're in New Zealand and need assistance, free and confidential support is available 24/7 from Gambling Helpline NZ at 0800 654 655 or gamblinghelpline.co.nz.

Spintown.nz editorial desk

Published by Spintown.nz. Our editorial method explains the document checks and their limits. Send factual corrections through our contact page.