Wage Subsidy Extention
15 May 2020
Many of you will have seen that the Government has announced an extension to the wage subsidy scheme. The Wage Subsidy Extension will be available from 10 June 2020 until 1 September 2020 so employers can keep paying their employees.
Operational Update #5 from the Department of Internal Affairs
12 May 2020
Preparing to operate at Alert Level 2
Following the Prime Minister’s announcement about New Zealand starting to move to Alert Level 2 from 14 May 2020, Class 4 gambling operators will need to prepare to operate under the Alert Level 2 guidelines.
DIA has updated its website with information on operating at Alert Level 2.
Food and Hospitality Workplace Safety Training Available
6 May 2020
Hospo Safe is a comprehensive staff induction product to help employers with their food and workplace safety training. It has been tailor-made to help meet the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act and the Food Act. The training is in two completely online modules, each taking between two and three hours (depending on previous knowledge and experience).
Being online means that staff can be complete the training anywhere and at any time. It has been designed so that even new staff can be trained before they start work.
Clubs New Zealand Sports Tournament Update
6 May 2020
For Clubs New Zealand, our tournaments have always provided a special opportunity for our club community to come together with others to share common interests and engage in a bit of friendly (but often fierce) competition.
As the COVID-19 situation has continued to evolve, our priority has been to ensure the health and safety of our club members, employees, partners and communities. With this in mind, we made the difficult decision to cancel Clubs New Zealand sports tournaments up until 31 August 2020.
Operational Update #4 from the Department of Internal Affairs
1 May 2020
Operation of gambling venues under COVID-19 Alert Level 2
This update relates to the operation of casino and class 4 gambling venues under COVID-19 Alert Level 2 conditions. It should be read alongside and is subject to any guidance provided by the Ministry of Health for public venues for Alert Level 2.
Government boosts cashflow support for small businesses
1 May 2020
The Government will provide interest free loans for a year to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 economic shock to support their immediate cashflow needs and meet fixed costs.
Contract Tracing Registers
30 April 2020
We are getting a large number of enquiries regarding contract tracing and what this will look like. The short answer is we do not currently have all the information and the Government have not released further details on how they wish this to be managed.
The guidelines that were released prior to the lock down asked hospitality venues to implement a COVID-19 guest register, including:
Practical Information about complying with the Wage Subsidy Scheme
29 April 2020
Since first being introduced on 17 March 2020, the Wage Subsidy Scheme has successfully delivered over $10 billion dollars into the economy to support employers, employees and the self-employed. Over 500,000 applications have been received, and payments made in respect of over 1.6 million employees and self-employed workers. As many employers have already applied for the Wage Subsidy Scheme, the focus now turns to ensuring that employers are complying with the terms of the scheme; in particular being able to evidence the need for the subsidy and retention of employees on the payroll.
Greetings from Crusader Isolation
28 April 2020
Well where did the last 4 weeks go and how quickly did this thing explode?
It has been interesting watching how various clubs have dealt with the situation we have found ourselves in. Some clubs have remained in close contact with members from virtual membership draws, virtual bands on a Saturday night, to virtual social gatherings of sub sections, meal deliveries to older members and staying in touch through social media. On the other hand no doubt we have had some clubs that have taken the opportunity to take a break and recharge the batteries, as we all know we work in a stressful business that has many potholes, and we have just gone through the biggest one yet.
Operational Update #3 from the Department of Internal Affairs
23 April 2020
COVID-19 relief measures for clubs
Further to our update on 7 April 2020, we continue to monitor and assess the impacts of COVID-19 on the gambling sector.
Installing and Setting up Zoom
23 April 2020
The last few weeks has forced us to adapt like never before. What was on the "I will get my head around it when I find a spare moment" (such as video conferencing) has suddenly become a priority.
There are many options available to facilitate video conferencing with a popular choice being Zoom. Leigh has created a quick step by step guide to help get you started with Zoom and you can download this guide here
Read this before turning your gaming machines back on
22 April 2020
Phil Lamberg of Aristocrat has provided some advice for clubs (which will apply to all gaming machine brands) to reduce the amount of issues that may arise from having your gaming machines off for weeks.
The main message is to NOT turn all EGM's back on at the same time as this can cause major faults.
