Gambling Venue Policy Review

The closing date for written submissions was Wednesday 25 March 2009.

Summary of Proposal: Waitakere City Council's Draft Gambling Policy Review and Submission process:

1. Introduction

The Waitakere City Council is reviewing its Gambling Venue Policy (2004). The Gambling Act 2003 requires Councils to have a policy on the numbers of gambling venues (including TABs) and Class 4 electronic gaming machines.

The Council is required to review its existing policy every 3 years under the provisions of the Gambling Act 2003 (section 102).

The Act also requires any changes to the Gambling Venue policy to be undertaken under the special consultative procedures outlined in the Local Government Act 2002.
Public submissions are being sought on two policy options under consideration.

Any proposed changes are required to be included in the information made available for the public consultation process which will include a 31 day consultation period for written/online submissions. There is also provision for verbal submissions at public hearings.

The submission and hearing process will take place February - May 2009 with a new policy expected to be adopted by July 2009.

2. What is the best option to manage gambling venues in our city?

Policy options need to take account of the objectives underpinning the proposed policy:

• To manage the growth of Class 4 gambling in Waitakere City
• To support the minimisation of harm caused by gambling, including problem gambling, in Waitakere City
• To encourage clarity regarding the distribution of gambling funds
• To ensure that the actual and reasonable costs relating to venue consent applications are paid by the applicant

Four possible options have been identified for managing the number of venues although only the first two have been included in the draft policies under consideration. These are:

The Council has expressed a preference for either Option 1: to retain the status quo or Option 2: a sinking lid policy, for the reasons outlined in the Statement of Purpose document.

Council called for submissions to receive feedback on which of these options people in Waitakere would like to see endorsed in the new policy.

Consideration can be given to:

• community views about gambling from various consultation exercises
• the findings of research carried out for the development of the Policy
• existing research including reports produced by the Ministry of Health

The decision of which option to choose for inclusion in the new policy is largely a question of how to achieve the right balance between minimising the harms that can be caused by gambling and regulating the activities of a legally constituted industry.

3. Submission Process

The closing date for written submissions was Wednesday 25 March 2009.

a. Who could make a submission?

• Key stakeholders who have a strong interest in the way venues are managed
• Residents, visitors, workers and employers in Waitakere City
• Organisations based in Waitakere and outside of the city
• Anyone else who would like to make a submission including Young people
• Submissions can be made by individuals or a group of individuals

b. Submission process

• All Key stakeholders will be invited to make written submissions or online submissions and sent an information pack with submission forms included.
  
  
• Submission forms were made available from
  Waitakere City Council Reception at Waitakere Central, online via this website and by phoning the Call Centre.

4. What information is there available for me to have a look at?

Information packs were made available for people who want to make a submission. In the information pack were the following documents:

Note: You will need to have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer in order to view and print these documents.  For help opening PDF files or tips on copying information see Helpful Tips.

Contact

Any further Questions?

Please contact Kim Conway, Strategic Analyst - Social Wellbeing on 8368000 ext 8165.