Turei Metiria: Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 (Application to Casinos) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Turei Metiria: Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 (Application to Casinos) Amendment Bill — First Reading 
[Sitting date: 05 December 2012. Volume:686;Page:7191. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
METIRIA TUREI (Co-Leader—Green) 
: 
 I want to thank all of those parties and members who have spoken in support of this Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act 2009 (Application to Casinos) Amendment Bill. We very much appreciate that commitment to protecting New Zealand families communities and New Zealand businesses. I am shocked by the level of ignorance displayed by the National Party members who have spoken on this bill including the last contribution just made by Todd McClay. It is certainly true that there has been some anti-terrorism and anti - money-laundering legislation that has been passed and does come into force next year I think. That legislation does put some parameters around trying to stem money-laundering in particular for which casinos are very well-known. What that legislation does not do—and in fact what no legislation yet does—is require casinos to forfeit the profits that they make from money that is spent in their establishments that has been stolen. There is no means in New Zealand law as yet that requires the casinos to return money to the businesses the communities and the individuals from whom money has been stolen for the purposes of gambling at casinos. 
There is a great gap in the law that means that families and communities and businesses are paying for the profits of casinos and have no way of having that money returned. My bill will close that gap in the law. My bill will make sure that families and communities and businesses have the chance to recover at least some of the money that was stolen from them for the purposes of gambling. By closing that gap my bill will make the casinos subject to the same kind of forfeiture regime that every other New Zealander in this country is subject to. There is not a single New Zealand citizen who is entitled to keep the profits of crime. That is what the law currently says. Like it or not casinos are themselves in receipt every day—every day—of some form of money that has been stolen to feed a gambling habit. Casinos too should be subject to the same laws and requirements as the citizens of New Zealand. 
There are a number of cases that I want to talk about so that people in this Chamber particularly those who have been blind so far to the effects of problem gambling can understand who is being affected. These are cases from just the last 2 years. November 2012: a 36-year-old finance officer at a nursery convicted of stealing $455000 from his employer which he used to visit casinos. October 2012: a 64-year-old Feilding payroll clerk convicted of stealing $260000 from her employer because she had a $700-a-day gambling addiction. October 2012: a 61-year-old accounts manager at the University of Otago sentenced for stealing $230000 from his employer. He stole to support his gambling addiction. June 2012: a 50-year-old finance officer employed by a marae stole $330000 from her employer. She had worked there for 17 years and used her employer’s credit card at the casino bank to withdraw money to feed her gambling addiction. June 2012: a 33-year-old sales assistant employed by a Wellington company stole $88000 worth of copper piping to sell in order to feed his gambling habit. December 2011: an Upper Hutt property manager convicted of stealing $54000 from his employer to fuel his gambling addiction. 
These are just some of the cases that we see in this country month after month year after year where businesses and community organisations are having money stolen. It is being spent at the casino and in other gambling places and that casino never needs to return any of that money either to the Crown or to the people from whom it was stolen. That surely is unfair—that surely is unfair. Those who have had money stolen from them and where that money has been forfeited by the Crown under the Criminal Proceeds (Recovery) Act can apply to have that money returned so it is possible to have that money returned to them. That is what this bill does. It is an important legislative gap that needs to be filled and it is justified because families and communities and businesses should not have to feed casino profits day after day after day. Thank you.