New World Record

An Auckland pair believes they have set a new Guinness Book of Records total for the most radio interviews in 24 hours.

This morning John Stansfield of the Problem Gambling Foundation and Alistair Galpin completed their 62nd interview with a station in Apia, Samoa.

The previous record was 54.

Mr Stansfield says it was a huge effort.

"We had to travel the global airwaves to set this record. We talked to stations in Canada, the USA, England, Scotland, Australia, South Africa, Namibia, Belgium, Fiji and throughout New Zealand.

"The message on gambling resonated everywhere. The harm being done by the gambling industry worldwide is massive. People are being damaged in all sorts of ways and the negative impact on the global economy is huge.

"Everywhere the same picture of crime, corruption and broken lives emerged.

"If the money put into parting gamblers from their money was invested in honest and positive projects major world problems could be solved; in fact some of those problems wouldn't exist in the first place."

Mr Galpin is an old hand at breaking records. Once this one is verified it will be his 29th Guinness record.

This is the second time he has worked with the Problem Gambling Foundation. Last year he set a record by dropping five pokie machines from a helicopter.

"I get great personal satisfaction out of setting records," he says.

"But more importantly I have been able to play a part in highlighting a social issue that needs to be addressed."

Mr Galpin is already begun work on his next record attempt but is not releasing details of it yet.