Proposed legislation may be redundant
The proposed Racing Reform Bill, which is slowly working its way through New Zealand Parliament, may be totally redundant if recently uncovered documents are taken into account.
Among the concerns of many interested industry participants is the question of just who owns the TAB, as well as the intellectual property rights that are associated with the TAB.
The proposed legislation is written as if the New Zealand Government owns the TAB, yet the recently uncovered original document makes it clear that two bodies, the New Zealand Racing Conference and the New Zealand Trotting Conference, jointly authored the paper which advocated for an “Off-Course Betting Scheme” almost 70 years ago.
Brian De Lore, a strong advocate for holding the current and most recent board to account for their apparent mismanagement of the TAB, has uncovered the document which answers the question of ownership. His weekly blog has an audience that includes many industry leaders.
Written, submitted and approved by the Minister of Internal Affairs in September 1950, the publication states that the TAB (Totalisator Agency Board) was the concept of the two conferences and that the start-up costs were underwritten by the racing clubs of New Zealand.
The uncovering of this original paper could dramatically affect the upcoming legislation. The first version of the bill has the government making all the decisions and taking away powers that should lie with the original owners.
The question as to who owned the TAB is one that was raised during submissions to the select committee, which concluded two weeks ago in preparation for the second reading of the bill. The industry was very active in making submissions to a bill which left many questions unanswered.
A major concern was the power of the Racing Minister in appointing a new board. Past boards have comprised members with no direct knowledge, involvement or experience in the racing industry. Many submissions dealt with that subject.
The bill, the second reading of which could be presented by mid to late April, is expected to incorporate approximately 120 changes which will hopefully be more acceptable, especially in light of who actually owns the TAB and its intellectual property rights.