Summary of the New Zealand match-fixing policy.

The New Zealand Policy on Sports Match-Fixing and Related Corruption (New Zealand match-fixing policy) provides a framework for government agencies, national sport organisations (NSOs) and the betting industry to collaborate to prevent and address match-fixing. Each of these sectors has particular responsibilities within the New Zealand match-fixing policy to fulfill.

For NSOs, the New Zealand match-fixing policy includes a set of fundamental rules that NSOs must have in place, to the extent appropriate for a particular NSO. These rules cover how the NSO will itself prevent and respond to match-fixing and will be linked to sanctions, such as suspension from participation in a sport, for breaching the rules.

The rules will need to be recognised by NSOs' constitutions and may be incorporated into NSOs' broader match-fixing or anti-corruption policies and regulations. New Zealand Rugby and New Zealand Cricket are examples of NSOs which already have comprehensive anti-corruption regulations in place which include match-fixing-related rules.

The New Zealand match-fixing policy includes reference to rules for NSOs, for example, restricting players, support staff and others as appropriate from:

• betting on any match under the jurisdiction of, or connected to, the NSO
• failing, for any money, benefit or reward (including particularly associated with a betting arrangement), to perform as reasonably expected to their abilities in, or withdrawing completely from, any match
• taking action to ensure the occurrence of a particular incident in a match (including particularly associated with a betting arrangement), other than for legitimate tactical sporting reasons within the rules of the sport, for which any benefit is expected.

The New Zealand match-fixing policy allows NSOs flexibility in precisely how they adopt the match-fixing rules in the policy, so the rules may be customised according to the particular needs of the NSO.

Sport New Zealand will support NSOs to put match-fixing rules in place by also providing a model NSO match-fixing policy, containing more comprehensive and detailed rules and processes, aligning with the fundamental rules in the New Zealand match-fixing policy. The NSO model policy will be able to be adopted or adapted by NSOs.

The match-fixing policy also requires that NSOs have education programmes in place so that everyone linked with the organisation understands the NSO's requirements and how to prevent match-fixing. Sport New Zealand will be supporting this effort by providing generic match-fixing education resources online for NSOs, and others, to use.