The Tawa Rugby Football Club recognises and support proven and effective efforts to address problem gambling in New Zealand communities.

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1 The Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill Summary The Tawa Rugby Football Club recognises and support proven and effective efforts to address problem gambling in New Zealand communities. However, the Tawa Rugby Football Club management committee believe that in attempting to address gambling harm, the Bill will do profound damage to the Tawa Rugby Football Club, Rugby, and sport in New Zealand. Recommendations While this Bill may be well intentioned, the Tawa Rugby Football Club considers that the Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill is liable to lead to more harm in the community than good. Additionally, the Tawa Rugby Football Club is concemed of the damage to the health and wellbeing to the Tawa Rugby Football Club, the sport of Rugby, and our community. The Tawa Rugby Football Club support targeted and proven efforts to curb problem gambling; however, the potential harm resulting from the proposed change in the way net proceeds are distributed would be severely detrimental to community rugby, and wider sport. We believe that proposals to reduce gambling harm would be better served through a comprehensive and considered review of gambling harm. As a result, we recommend that the Bill not proceed. About the Tawa Rugby Football Club TAWA RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB Club Established Club Colours 1947 Gold, Blue, and Red Tawa Rugby Football Club is a community based rugby club that organises rugby in the Tawa area and makes its facilities available to the WRFU, local community and sports organisations, schools, and the Wellington Regional and City Councils. The club values of commitment, involvement, and belonging are also those of the Tawa community. Extended contacts details, other club information, and photographs can be gained via the club web site, which is and via Google, and the club a has monthly newsletter. The club caters for all types of players with good representation in Premier, Senior First, Senior Thirds, President, Colts and 80/80, and other age grade and social teams. Our player subscription fees are modest and we offer guaranteed enjoyment and camaraderie, with excellent training facilities; a great body building weights gym; a large indoor artificial turf

2 training gym and all weather asphalt training areas. All these facilities are available to our players, local schools, and the Tawa community and its sports organisations. The approximate amount of funding support that the Tawa Rugby Football Club receives each year is summarised below. Annual Funding Support $100k per year This support is distribute through the following uses: Uniforms Training equipment Repairs to changing rooms Club coaching coordinator Coaches courses ( coach development ) Upgrade of field lighting Medical equipment Electricity and gas Ground fees Medical support for injured players Support of the junior club Support for local College and School Rugby NUMBER OF PARTICIPATING TEAMS AND RUGBY PLAYER INFLUENCED BY THE TRFC: There are four distinct player catchments' influenced by the TRFC Junior Catchment 5 to 10 year Olds The catchment of Junior Players would include local Junior Rugby Players in clubs Junior Players 2012 Jville) 237I Tawa 183 Norths 176 The TRFC also include interested children from the 17 Primary Schools close to Tawa in the Wellington Region Junior Catchment 11 to 18 year Olds High Schools l 2011 Figures Aotea 130 Mana 47 Newlands 81 Onslow 56 Porirua 135 Tawa 93 Viard 44

3 Porirua Catchment 5 to 18 year Olds The TRFC would also has contact with players at 36 schools in the Porirua City catchment (adjacent to Tawa). Adult Local Players Adult Local Players and Interested other local adult People Promotion of rugby to adult players at Tawa, Johnsonville, and North's Rugby Clubs. Tawa Rugby Football Club Rooms Lyndhurst Road, PO Box Tawa, Wellington. Phone tawarugby@xtra.co.nz; Web Site It is the belief of the Tawa Rugby Football Club that if implemented, the Bill would do more harm to the community than it will do good for the community. The Tawa Rugby Football Club oppose the specific elements of this Bill because we believe the consequences of the removal of national funding from gaming trusts for community sport would be profoundly damaging for our community. Putting at risk vital funding to community sport is not an effective way to target problem gambling. The Tawa Rugby Football Club makes the following comments on specific part of the Bill: Clause 10: Changes to the responsibility for distributing poker machine funds, including phasing out existing gaming machine trusts and corporate societies from having a role in gaming machine gambling or in distributing net gambling proceeds, by a date certain to be specified, and requires them to hand over their role to committees of the territorial authority where the venue is located. The TRFC OPPOSE this change. The Tawa Rugby Football Club recognises that the NZRU's submission will also recognise this would mean an end to the current Trusts and Societies, which distribute net proceeds, and hands their role over to special committees to be set up for every territorial authority. There are over 60 territorial authorities, and Auckland with 21 Local Boards. Additionally, experience with seeking funding through local authorities and special committees suggest that it may be a cumbersome and slow process. Amateur sport in New Zealand is run by volunteers whose time is limited and the demands placed upon them must be lessoned not increased. The ability to quickly turnaround an application, have it heard, and then have a decision made is vital.

4 It is our view this will bring to an end the ability to seek sports funding on a national basis, turn the current model for funding for sports organisations on its head and severely limit their ability to operate. The damage to sports administration and to sport in general will be severe. The TRFC OPPOSE this change. If this change was accepted, the TRFC believe fewer gaming funds would be available for community projects. Councils' administrative costs would increase and funding decisions could, or would, become politicised. A conflict of interest would eventually occurs as Councils would eventually become dependent on gaming funds, there would have no incentive to reduce gaming machine numbers, and the funding distribution would not be independent. The TRFC cannot see how grant distribution is part of councils' core business. Clauses 9 and 6: 80% of funds returned to the local community in which they were raised The TRFC OPPOSE this change as it recognise that in our view the proposed mechanism for the distribution of net proceeds from class 4 gambling will end the current practice of making grants of net proceeds available to national sports organisations a on national basis. The proposed mechanism will have a crippling effect on the funding of national and regional sports events, strategic planning of national sport development, consistency across sporting codes and within sporting codes, and on participation in sport at a local, regional and national level, and at an international level. Additionally, many rural clubs don't have venues with Gaming Machines and the introduction of this bill will penalise them unfairly. Already Trusts are reluctant to fund outside of the local communities where their machines are based and this will just make it doubly difficult for rural clubs. The TRFC believes if this proposal was to be upheld then all funds should be distributed using Regional Advisory Committees. The boundaries of the Region should be the same as the local regional council level so that community trusts can fund worthwhile projects that benefit entire regions. Under the current rule with small areas, some gamblers play in one area, but live in another. This extension would overcome that problem. On the proposal for Councils to consider public sentiment and the social impact of gambling when reviewing their gambling policies. The TRFC SUPPORT this change. The TRFC believe communities have a right to have input into their local gambling policy. Furthermore, as a responsible sporting club, the TRFC is mindful of preventing and reducing any harm that may be caused by gambling and want to voice its concerns and views. Clause 7: Reduction in number of pokies in some communities

5 The TRFC OPPOSE this change on the bases that there is sufficient evidence that links the number of pokies with the degree of problem gambling. We consider other initiatives; particularly education and promotion are likely to have greater success than merely shifting the location of where people participate in such activities. The TRFC OPPOSE this change because this proposal affects both publicans' and gaming trusts' property rights. Many Tawa and Porirua businesses have made financial commitments and decisions based on their ability to operating gaming machines. We believe a better alternative is to continue with the existing approach, which 'grandfathers' existing gaming licences and allows for sinking lid policies. This approach is working since 2003 machine numbers in New Zealand have fallen by 28 percent. Clause 6: Tools to give gamblers more ability to limit and control their own gambling behaviour The TRFC SUPPORT this change and welcomes initiatives that supports targeted, meaningful and verifiable efforts to reduce harm from all forms of legal gambling and supports meaningful and efficient efforts to improve compliance and enhance transparency. As a responsible sporting club, the TRFC supports the introduction of initiatives proven to prevent or reduce harm caused by gambling. Clause 5: Removing racing as an authorised purpose. Gaming grants cannot go towards racing or racing stake money. The TRFC SUPPORT this change. Although the TRFC recognises the important role the racing and thoroughbred industries play in New Zealand, we consider that Racing receives funding from other sources and does not need to be supporting by hotel and tavem gaming machines. CONCLUSION Over all the TRFC OPPOSE this Bill. The Gambling (Gambling Harm Reduction) Amendment Bill, if it becomes law, is likely to have significant implications for the funding of the Tawa Rugby Football Club, community rugby, and has the potential to seriously damage the game of Rugby, and community sport in general. We are greatly concerned the funding of future events would be jeopardised and worry greatly about the implications for the future of the Tawa Rugby Football Club and community. Yours sincerely Gary Beecroft Secretary Tawa Rugby Football Club

6 58A Kiwi Crescent Tawa Wellington 5028 Land Line Mobile File Path C: \My Documents\Rugby TRFC\1Gambling Amendment Submission Template Final TRFC V 4.docx