Candidate denies conflict of interest

Nelson mayoral candidate and city councillor Aldo Miccio is part-owner of a building that has a gambling bar in Hardy St – but says he would like to see all poker machines gone from New Zealand.

However, you can't "turn off one tap" without turning another one on, he said.

Mr Miccio and his family trust hold 50 per cent of AAPI Ltd, the company which owns 325 Hardy St, the building which houses Hardy's Bar and Cafe.

That business – one of several owned by Paul Max – houses a TAB and 18 pokie machines, the maximum permissible number in a Nelson venue.

Mr Miccio declared an interest and took no part in the city council's deliberations on changing its gambling policy, and did not vote when the council decided to permit pokies close to kindergartens, schools and playgrounds.

The council's decision has led to a community campaign to stop pokies returning to Victory Square and to have the policy change rescinded.

Mr Miccio said one of the campaign's leaders, Hester Phillips, taught his daughter dance, and he had discussed the pokies issue with her several times. He disclosed his interest in the Hardy St building to her straight away, he said.

"I agree with her that pokie machine locations is an important issue. The problem we have here in Nelson as a council is it's very hard to control where poker machines go."

Mr Miccio first told the Mail that he was the beneficiary of a trust with a small shareholding in the company that owned the Hardy's Bar building. After Companies Office records were checked, he confirmed that he and his family owned 50 per cent of AAPI, with the family trust holding 49 shares and himself one share. "I do not own a share in anything that owns pokie machines," he said.

The other 50 shares are held by ADR Nelson Ltd, a company wholly belonging to Anthony Romano, of Christchurch. Mr Miccio and Mr Romano are the two directors of AAPI. The building was already tenanted by the gambling bar when they bought it, Mr Miccio said.

"The good thing is, there's no school or kindergarten next to it."

He said he declared his interest to the council not only because of the Hardy St bar but also because he was a trustee of the Summit rescue helicopter, Nelson Bays Football and the Nelson Bays Community Foundation, "all organisations where we apply for and rely on pokie money".

"I declared my interest across the board. Interest is where you have an interest greater than the average person in the street."

He said he believed poker machines were the worst form of gambling, and the bar in Victory Square was "probably one of the worst places" where they could be installed.

"I'd like to see pokies non-existent in this country, and you start with getting rid of the pokie machines in the worst-affected areas, and that would be the Victory community.

"It's a real central government issue. The problem here is, it's difficult to turn one tap off unless you can turn another one on. There's so many worthwhile community groups that depend on pokie money."

- © Fairfax NZ News

Newest First

Oldest First