Changes to Lottery Grants Board committee structure

The Gambling Act 2003 provides for profits from Lotto NZ games to be allocated to benefit communities.

The New Zealand Lottery Grants Board Te Puna Tahua (the Board) determines the strategic direction, policies and outcomes of the lottery grants system. The Board allocates profits to its lottery distribution committees. Distribution committees distribute grants for community purposes.

In April 2026, DIA announced changes to the structure of lottery distribution committees effective from 1 July 2026.

These changes follow on from the Kia Tipu, He Tipua programme. Kia Tipu, He Tipua reviewed the system and the Board approved the evolution of the system to one that learns and is more strategic and data driven. Some changes began being phased in 2023. This next phase will continue to update the system with a new structure of lottery distribution committees.

How are the lottery distribution committees changing?

The current specialist and regional committees will be disestablished. Six new regional committees and one new national committee will be established.

Which new committees will be established?

Six new regional committees and one national committee.

A new sub-committee, within the new national committee, will be established to distribute the proceeds from online casino gambling.

Are statutory bodies, Crown funds and Trust funds impacted by these changes?

No, Statutory bodies, Crown funds and Trust funds are not impacted by these changes.

Why is the structure changing?

The current structure has remained largely unchanged for over 20 years. These changes will simplify the system to allow for more strategic funding decisions. The structure will be simpler for applicants to navigate and attracting candidates for all committees will be easier.

How will outcomes for Māori and people with disabilities and other groups mentioned in the Act be supported if specialist committees are removed?

Regard to the needs of Māori, older people, Pacific people and other ethnic communities, women, youth, and people with disabilities will continue to be supported through the new regional committees and national committee structure.

A forthcoming review of the outcomes framework will strengthen alignment with Board’s strategy, operational policies and supporting practices will encompass agreed outcomes, activities, and measures.

Where can I get more information about the changes?

DIA will be communicating with communities, hapū and iwi and our funding partners and Government agencies to let them know about these changes.

DIA is working to define the funding approach for the new committees. We will be ready to start communicating more details about the funding approaches for the different committees from July 2026.

How are multi-year grants impacted?

Some applicants may hold current multi-year funding agreements. We recognise the importance of these commitments and are actively working with the Board to consider how those agreements might be supported for their duration.

While the original terms and conditions note that funding is subject to funding availability within the awarding committee, the NZ Lottery Board is carefully considering how best to honor these existing arrangements under the new Distribution Committee structure.

What happens with current single year grants?

The changes do not affect single-year grants that have already been paid. Grant recipients will all be required to meet reporting requirements in line with their terms and conditions.

Grant recipients need to complete all reporting requirements. Please refer to the terms and conditions of the grant in the online platform for the specified date.

For information on reporting requirements visit What do I need for my results report?

What reassurances can you give about grant eligibility, criteria and processes under the new committee structure?

The eligibility criteria and processes of the new structure are being worked through. The new operational policy and practice guidance will be provided as soon this has been confirmed by the NZ Lottery Grants Board at their meeting in late June.

While we are still working through the details, the key elements of the lottery funding process will stay the same.

• Applications will be made through the online grants system.
• Application questions and supporting information, will be similar to what has been required by the previous committees.
• The Department will carry out assessment of each request and make recommendations to committees.
• Committees will make final decisions on the distribution of the allocation.
• Some criteria may change however, the Gambling Act (2003) is still the basis for any fund criteria.

There will still be a need for Community Advisor relational support to support community, hapū and iwi navigate new lottery fund structure and the new regional and national committees.

We can reassure applicants that the changes do not impact the amount of funding that is available.

What’s happening with committees that still have decision meetings before the end of June 2026

The remaining meetings will take place as normal for FY25/26, no further requests will be accepted. How these will be managed in the Grants Client Management System (GCMS) will be confirmed.

Will the changes slow grant decisions?

We are expecting similar volumes of applications to previous years which DIA will continue to manage. Our expertise will continue to support decision making, and our advisory support function will continue to engage and support iwi, hapū, marae and community sectors to access funding through the new committees.

We are looking at changes to a range of areas including the frequency of decision meetings to ensure that the volume of applications is manageable. System improvements, clearer guidance and funding rounds will all support the management of decision-making timelines.

What can I do if I was planning an application in FY26/27?

If you were planning to make an application, you can get prepared by ensuring you are fund ready. You can:

• set-up a Real Me profile
• register people and groups in the online system
• ensure your organisation’s profile information is up to date.

Information about this is available here https://www.communitymatters.govt.nz/logging-into-the-grants-management-system

You will be able to make an application when the fund opens for the FY26/27 year. We have not finalised the decision meeting dates yet. Once these have been agreed they will be published on the Community Matters website.

Will I be able to copy an existing request to apply to the new fund if organisation are already working in the system?

This detail is still to be worked through however, it’s unlikely applicants will be able to copy an old application form because the committee structure is changing.

However, applicants will still have access to previous request and grant information so the information could be manually transferred.

What information can you give me about the process for people who applied to Lottery Individuals with Disability?

We commit to providing information as soon as it is confirmed by the Board at their meeting in late June. Once the details are confirmed we will work with disability organisations to navigate the new structure.

In the new committee structure, organisations that support people with disabilities will be able to apply for operational or project costs.  The national or regional committee will make decisions on these requests alongside requests from other agencies.

People with disabilities can find out about other kinds of support available here - How to access support | Disability Support Services.

We want to reassure people that the committee structure changes do not impact the amount of funding that is available or the criteria that funding can be provided for under the Gambling Act (2003).

How can we have confidence that community, hapū and iwi voices will be represented and that funding will be allocated with appropriate sector knowledge and understanding?

Community representation is a core design principle of the new six regional committees and one national committee structure. The new committees will consist of individuals with regional knowledge and experience preserving local insight alongside stronger national oversight and coordination.

We are encouraging current committee members to apply for roles on the new committees, and we hope to fill all positions on the new committees with existing committee members to retain their skills, experience and relationships with their communities.

Candidates for both regional and national committees will be required to have first-hand experience in the not for-profit sector including an understanding of how community organisations operate, are governed, and funded. The collective knowledge, skills and expertise across committee members will ensure the required level of experience engaging with diverse communities including with Māori, Pacific, Ethnic communities, older people, women, youth, and people with disabilities.

We will also utilise the expertise of our diverse workforce to support committee decision making for all groups named in the Act. DIA’s advisory support function will continue to engage with community sectors to access funding through the new committees.

How can people find out more about the changes or provide feedback?

If people would like to provide feedback, please email communitymatters@dia.govt.nz.

There is advice about making complaints on the Office of the Ombudsman’s website: Tips for resolving a complaint with a government agency | Ombudsman New Zealand.