Millie Elder-Holmes, a New Zealand social media influencer and adopted daughter of the late broadcaster Paul Holmes, faces legal proceedings over allegations of promoting overseas gambling. She is contesting infringement notices issued by the Department of Internal Affairs for advertising a Belize-based gambling site to her followers on Facebook and Instagram.
Elder-Holmes became the first person in New Zealand to pay a $5,000 fine in May 2025 for promoting foreign gambling, but three months later posted similar content while visiting Hong Kong. Prosecutors argue this constituted a violation of New Zealand’s Gambling Act, which prohibits advertising most overseas gambling services to New Zealand audiences except for specific exceptions related to health messages, business-to-business communication, or incidental promotion.
The Department of Internal Affairs issued further infringement notices to Elder-Holmes last September, accusing her of breaching the Gambling Act twice in August 2025—once for each identical post on Instagram and Facebook. Elder-Holmes has challenged the jurisdiction of New Zealand courts over the latter allegations, contending that because the posts occurred while she was outside the country, the previous version of the Gambling Act under which she is charged does not apply extraterritorially.
During a pre-trial hearing in Auckland District Court, Elder-Holmes’s lawyer highlighted that the Gambling Act was amended in 2026 to expressly extend jurisdiction to overseas postings but argued the prior legislation did not clearly allow such application. The judge, Gus Andree Wiltens, acknowledged this difference but noted prosecution arguments that posting content accessible to New Zealand audiences constitutes publication under New Zealand law, regardless of the influencer’s physical location.
Prosecutors emphasized that Elder-Holmes’s posts included references to New Zealand currency and targeted her tens of thousands of New Zealand followers. They indicated an intention to demonstrate what portion of Elder-Holmes’s audience resided in New Zealand during trial. The Department also pointed to a previous crackdown initiated in April 2024, when several influencers were warned that promoting foreign gambling services on New Zealand-based social media accounts violated local law.
The judge expressed initial skepticism about applying the law extraterritorially but ultimately ruled that New Zealand courts have jurisdiction over the case. He cited legal precedent supporting the view that making gambling advertisements accessible to New Zealanders constitutes an offense under the Gambling Act, even if the posts originated abroad. As a result, the infringement notices against Elder-Holmes remain in force for now.
Elder-Holmes faces up to $20,000 in fines since the Department of Internal Affairs requested that the case proceed to District Court, potentially increasing penalties beyond the $5,000 per infringement typically imposed on first-time offenses. The matter is scheduled for a further hearing next month in Manukau District Court.
The case follows a related instance involving Calen Morris, a member of the band Head Hunters and cousin of Elder-Holmes’s late partner Connor Morris. Morris faced similar charges after posting gambling advertisements from the Cook Islands but opted to pay $20,000 in fines rather than contest the accusations in court. The continuing legal scrutiny reflects New Zealand authorities’ ongoing efforts to enforce the Gambling Act and regulate the promotion of offshore gambling among domestic audiences.