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Message from our new Gambling Director
Kia ora koutou,
I would firstly like to thank Chris Thornborough for his hard work and the strategic direction he has provided as the Gambling Director. I had the privilege of a two-week transition period with Chris, which has helped me get my feet under the desk. Chris has achieved an enormous amount, and has a knowledge of the sector second to none. Although I am sad to see him leave, I wish Chris well with his next endeavours.
It is a honour for me to now lead the Gambling Group at Te Tari Taiwhenua, with a particular focus on delivering the Strategic Direction that we outlined in the last Gambits newsletter. This is our top priority, and I look forward to talking with you more about it.
My background is regulatory, having spent the last three and half years overseeing the NZ Building Code, and prior to that, 11 years in transport regulation. Through this time I have provided leadership to core aspects of regulation such as policy, technical settings, operations, compliance and enforcement. Critical as these elements are, I am interested in achieving outcomes through constructive sector relationships, partnerships, collaboration and good communication.
Delivering DIA’s core regulatory services is vital to the success of your businesses. There has been a recent change of leadership in this area also, and I am pleased to introduce Susan Allen as the Deputy Director Gambling for the next 6 months.
"I am really pleased to be stepping into the Gambling Group to support the team to continue to be successful at what they do. I’ve been in the Department’s Regulatory Services Group for 2.5 years and bring my knowledge of regulatory strategy, governance and capability to our work," Susan says. Susan’s main focus is delivering our core operational and regulatory services.
Over the next few months I am looking forward to getting out and meeting as many of you as possible and learning in depth about the gambling sector, and the opportunities that we can work on together.
In this edition of Gambits, we've taken a look at some of our system players who have an important role in reducing gambling-related harms.
Ngā mihi,
Dave Robson
Director Gambling
We're all responsible for reducing gambling-related harms
Venue, club, and casino staff - culture of care
Venue staff at a club, pub, or casino can make a positive impact in reducing gambling-related harms.
When DIA Regulators visit a venue, they are looking to see staff connecting with their customers. For example:
- checking to see that staff know what's going on in the gambling room
- who is in there and how long they've been there
- what type of gambling they're doing
- recording and monitoring incidents
- identifying signs of gambling harm and knowing when to check in to see if they need to take a break.
We look to venue operators to identify and offer support, help, information and resources, so people have an opportunity to think about their gambling habits. You'll hold the intimate knowledge of what's happening in your space. It's important that venue, club, and casino staff are confident in their harm minimisation practices, and know what to say and do.
Societies and harm minimisation
Those who work for Societies will know that Societies provide training for their venue staff, but there are additional harm minimisation resources available. Here are some examples:
- For members of Hospitality New Zealand, a training program is available for venue operators.
- HPA is another organisation with resource for venue operators: Choice not Chance - Gambling Host Responsibility
- Clubs NZ also provides training and resources for their members.
It's good for everyone to be at this level. If you know of any other options, please let us know!
Local government – policy and community voice
Councillors and mayors are elected to represent the views of their communities and how they feel about pokies. Many councils will provide opportunities to engage with their community to hear these voices when reviewing their pokie policy.
Policy is developed at the local government level that governs the location and number of gaming machines in that local authority. A harm minimisation lens is used as part of the decision making process.
Our DIA Gambling Regulators often work with Council regulatory staff to gain insight into their communities and mahi.
The Gambling Group - Te Tari Taiwhenua
Minimising harm is one of our fundamental focusses as the Gambling Regulator. As mentioned above, DIA Regulators are interested in the culture of care: how venue staff are meeting their harm minimisation requirements and looking after people who are gambling.
As the Department, we are changing the way we deliver data, so communities can make their own decisions about community wellbeing and understand the implications. It's about empowering communities to make their own decisions.
Problem gambling service providers
If you or anyone you know would benefit from help, support is available through problem gambling service providers. These services aren't only for those who gamble - they are available for anyone affected by gambling-related harms, like friends and whānau.
There are dedicated counselling services for Māori, Pacific, and Asian, alongside those services provided at the national level. People seeking help can find out who in their region is providing.
Iwi, hapū and whānau
Although problem gambling service providers offer dedicated counselling services for Māori, Māori may prefer to seek support within their iwi, hapū and whānau. Māori know what's best for their people to achieve oranga.
Everyone is responsible for reducing gambling-related harms.
We'd love to hear from you. We want to know how we can all work together to achieve our purpose and maximise outcomes for communities.
Gambits subscription
We regularly review our subscription lists in order to continue providing relevant updates to the gambling sector.
If you wish to continue to receive Gambits, which will cover general industry news, updates from the Gambling Group, and reminders about compliance, please renew your subscription information.
