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Gambling law trade-off distasteful

Changing gambling laws in return for casino giant Sky City funding a national convention centre in Auckland is not the way the Government should be doing business.

Chequebook legislation is not the New Zealand way.

Most Kiwis will find it repugnant that the Government should put the commercial interests of a multinational corporation ahead of the best interests of New Zealanders.

The recent announcement that Economic Development Minister Steven Joyce believes that negotiations are ‘stepping up a little bit pace-wise’ suggests that the Government is well down the road in relation to agreeing a deal.

Of course, it is good news that Auckland is likely to get a new international convention centre.

But it is not good news if the Government is going to sign off legislative changes that will enable Sky City to install a whole heap of extra pokie machines and gambling tables, or to promote them more widely.

New Zealand already has serious gambling addiction problems. We should not be making a big problem worse.

There are other ways of doing business than selling off our laws to the highest bidder. There are other potential partners who can be considered.

The Government rolled over and changed our labour laws when Warner Brothers held a gun to its head. The Government ditched Kiwi workers to allow overseas interests to build our new trains.

A repugnant history is becoming worse. New Zealand laws should not be for sale on any basis.

Phil Twyford is an elected Member of Parliament representing Te Atatu Constituency and Labour Party’s spokesman for Auckland issues.

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