Kiwi company frowning all the way to the bank

Anyone who’s been to New Zealand before will be able to tell you that it rains quite a lot, sometimes the climate making you feel like you could be anywhere from London to the South Pole, and that there’s a hell of a lot of people willing to have someone tattoo their face. Oh, and call them Australians, and you might struggle to make it out alive.

The chilled out stereotype often ascribed to New Zealanders seems to be lacking, after a $5,000 fee imposed by the Dept. of Internal Affairs, against a company who operate an email service for Lotto results, was upheld by the Auckland District Court.

SmileLines were in hot water after they had links to 16 overseas gambling sites on their webpage, and after seeking a lesser penalty for the offence, Judge Emma Aitken disagreed.

Aitken wasn’t swayed to believe the company couldn’t afford the $5,000 infringement fee, after it was discovered they were able to pay a $110,000 director’s fee.

Sole director of the company Denis McDonald may well have to think of a new name for the company after this latest debacle.