The Ban. It's not over until the fat lady sings.

[Pyst]

NZ HERALD Headline 02.03.25

Greyhound racing industry in New Zealand plans legal challenge and PR campaign against racing ban.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/greyhound-racing-industry-in-new-zealand-plans-legal-challenge-and-pr-campaign-against-racing-ban/2C3RX3237NHBJLRG3V2CYIZH34/

It's premium content unfortunately.

[Pyst]

"As part of considering a legal defence, Rennell wants to compare the greyhound industry, which has “full and transparent” injury reporting, and the horse-racing industry.

“I would say the level of euthanasia in greyhound racing is lower than the racing euthanasia rate in the equine codes. I’m not saying their rate’s unacceptable, but I don’t believe ours is either.”

Asked if fewer horses were injured in horse racing than on the greyhound track, Rennell said he didn’t think all horse racing injuries were officially noted."

 

[Alan Williams]

I Can tell you from my experience in the greyhound industry there are still some trainers that don't report injuries from trials or races  to GRNZ or RIB sometimes you don't pick up injuries until you get home or the next day its very hard for an on course vet to pick up injuries straight after a race when the dog is hot unless it's a major injury 

[stodge]

As you may have heard, greyhound racing in Wales will end this year after a decision taken by the Welsh Senedd. There's one track in Wales - Valley.

In England, however, the Labour Government has come out strongly in support of retaining the sport.

 

[Ohokaman]

Interesting article….

https://www.thegreyhoundrecorder.com.au/news/roberts-stop-listening-to-tree-hugging-woke-lunatics/

[meomy]

On 3/3/2025 at 3:52 AM, stodge said:

As you may have heard, greyhound racing in Wales will end this year after a decision taken by the Welsh Senedd. There's one track in Wales - Valley.

In England, however, the Labour Government has come out strongly in support of retaining the sport.

 

@stodge

Is that at Kennington in Wales where they tried the same disruption to Greyhound Racing back in the 1920's?

We had a scan through Papers Past NZ archives to try learn more about how that panned out and who was behind it.

 

Those in the industry worldwide would benefit from reading some of those earlier challenges then to 

In that era it was the Anti Betting brigade who didn't want people who played Rugby having Greyhounds at the same Sports and Recreation grounds...

Same stupid carry on happens in other places to including towards ordinary dogs in parks/ Reserves.

 

I wonder how many know the link between Greyhound Tours buses and the Greyhound Racing industry.

 

So many pluses and benefits to the wider community.

 

Maybe you can share with interested parties to refresh knowledge in British newspaper archives as they to usually have background knowledge that is equally as relevant to today's situations that have arisen.

 

[Alan Williams]

Unfortunately the situation here is very different to Wales England and Australia the vote for the ban in Australia was a 50/50 split between politicians here in New Zealand it was 123/1 split between politicians that is the reality of the situation 

[stodge]

On 3/5/2025 at 1:04 AM, meomy said:

@stodge

Is that at Kennington in Wales where they tried the same disruption to Greyhound Racing back in the 1920's?

We had a scan through Papers Past NZ archives to try learn more about how that panned out and who was behind it.

 

Those in the industry worldwide would benefit from reading some of those earlier challenges then to 

In that era it was the Anti Betting brigade who didn't want people who played Rugby having Greyhounds at the same Sports and Recreation grounds...

Same stupid carry on happens in other places to including towards ordinary dogs in parks/ Reserves.

 

I wonder how many know the link between Greyhound Tours buses and the Greyhound Racing industry.

 

So many pluses and benefits to the wider community.

 

Maybe you can share with interested parties to refresh knowledge in British newspaper archives as they to usually have background knowledge that is equally as relevant to today's situations that have arisen.

 

The Valley track wasn't built until the 1970s opening in 1976.

There are a number of former greyhound tracks in Wales which have closed such as Cardiff, Swansea, Somerton Park, Penydarren Park, Taff's Park, Bedwellty and Skewen to name but a few.

I'm afraid the decision to end greyhound racing in Wales is purely political - it was used as a bargaining chip by opposition parties to get the Welsh Government's Budget through the Senedd.

[Keneperu]

Greyhound racing here is a joke. Take away a Homebush kennel and no ban needed.

[Susan]

[Idolmite]

When both Alexandra Park and Addington are racing on a typical Friday night, that's a race every 15 minutes (less the length of the actual race). With build up and post race interviews, there is no "dead air" even without an extra meeting. I read more complaints on here re the lack of interest in wall-to-wall racing than squeezing in more. Just a different point of view. 

[Bimbo]

1 hour ago, Idolmite said:

When both Alexandra Park and Addington are racing on a typical Friday night, that's a race every 15 minutes (less the length of the actual race). With build up and post race interviews, there is no "dead air" even without an extra meeting. I read more complaints on here re the lack of interest in wall-to-wall racing than squeezing in more. Just a different point of view. 

But what about the other six nights of the week?  They might as well switch Trackside off at 6 pm.

[meomy]

On 3/8/2025 at 9:47 AM, stodge said:

The Valley track wasn't built until the 1970s opening in 1976.

There are a number of former greyhound tracks in Wales which have closed such as Cardiff, Swansea, Somerton Park, Penydarren Park, Taff's Park, Bedwellty and Skewen to name but a few.

I'm afraid the decision to end greyhound racing in Wales is purely political - it was used as a bargaining chip by opposition parties to get the Welsh Government's Budget through the Senedd.

Looks like nothing has really changed then in 100 years @stodge, it was Political then to, tied in with the Prohibitionists / Anti Gambling/ Anti so many other things, ( Methodists)  that have been very active also in recent years.

We always learn something in reading those archives we do 

 

[Idolmite]

15 hours ago, Bimbo said:

But what about the other six nights of the week?  They might as well switch Trackside off at 6 pm.

The person I was replying to only mentioned Friday nights. 

Other than Saturday days and Saturday evenings when there are some good Aussie gallops meetings on, and Saturday nights for the Aussie trots at their big carnivals only, I extremely rarely watch Trackside during the day or night outside of said Friday nights (barring Melbourne Cup, NZ Trotting Cup, NZ FFA day etc which traditionally run on week days, and over the Xmas/New Year period). If it switched off at 6pm 5 days per week, Sunday to Thursday, personally I wouldn't notice the difference, but others would. 

[stodge]

9 hours ago, meomy said:

Looks like nothing has really changed then in 100 years @stodge, it was Political then to, tied in with the Prohibitionists / Anti Gambling/ Anti so many other things, ( Methodists)  that have been very active also in recent years.

We always learn something in reading those archives we do 

 

 

Yes and no. After a period of considerable liberalisation in attitudes to gambling in the 80s and 90s - bookmakers premises were opened up and we got a National Lottery and finally slot machines in bookies and pubs there has been a backlash in the past 5-10 years 

Stories of the impact of gambling addiction on individuals, families and communities have had a political impact and bookmakers in particular are suffering. Having at one point had a dozen betting shops in East Ham High Street, we now have eight but crowds of men congregate outside them and some find that intimidating and not what they want to see on the High Street.

[Alan Williams]

Well after listening to Mr Peter's last night I think it is time to take down the signs and burn the tee shirts and start doing the right thing by the dogs and start finding them home or better still get the owners to look after them. The dogs have tried there best for you all over the years now its time for them to be repaid with a happy retirement. Just because the game is coming to an end don't turn your backs on them. I still care for my 10 greyhounds years after I left the game 

[Charlie E]

I still can't understand why they don't trial straight racing like Healsville and Capalaba for a while . We already have one straight racing track . Very rare dogs fall in those races 

[Alan Williams]

We put a proposal to GRNZ about 4yrs ago to put a straight track in at Ashburton we had the full support of the racing club board and the other 2 codes they did surveying last year and priced it up but it's gone no further 

[stodge]

There used to be a straight track at Edgware in North West London.

This was in a Racing Post piece about closed greyhound tracks - the dogs ran over 200yard and 300 yard trips.

Edgware Straights

This was one of the more unusual greyhound experiences I had and, although not strictly a track, more a field running parallel with the most northern section of the M25, it hosted regular flapping meetings until the 1980s. People brought their greyhounds along in vans or estate cars, registered their interest to race and were allocated a contest. As the name suggested, the runners set off along a huge grass straight, chasing a rudimentary drag hare. Good fun.

[virtual1]

20 hours ago, Alan Williams said:

We put a proposal to GRNZ about 4yrs ago to put a straight track in at Ashburton we had the full support of the racing club board and the other 2 codes they did surveying last year and priced it up but it's gone no further 

GRNZ was very clear until they had certainty they weren't going to start the process of implementing the new track, if the decision was different the straight track would have been started by now

[Alan Williams]

Yes but the first proposal was sent to GRNZ over 4yrs ago long before there was any talk of the greyhound industry possibly being closed down. Yet they still went a head with a straight track in the CD at Wanganui where the population of greyhounds racing is a he'll of a lot less than the population in the Canterbury  area it would have made more sense to put it where the biggest population is would you not think 

[meomy]

On 3/28/2025 at 2:30 AM, stodge said:

There used to be a straight track at Edgware in North West London.

This was in a Racing Post piece about closed greyhound tracks - the dogs ran over 200yard and 300 yard trips.

Edgware Straights

This was one of the more unusual greyhound experiences I had and, although not strictly a track, more a field running parallel with the most northern section of the M25, it hosted regular flapping meetings until the 1980s. People brought their greyhounds along in vans or estate cars, registered their interest to race and were allocated a contest. As the name suggested, the runners set off along a huge grass straight, chasing a rudimentary drag hare. Good fun.

They still have some similar styles of other Dog Breed Racing here in New Zealand @stodge, including an Annual Jack Russell Race and other local Dog Breeds having regular races throughout the year.

The difference at a guess is also to do with the fact with Greyhound Racing it involves "Betting".

Some people in Society, including those who have instigated any Banning of anything in life really need to understand Jurisprudence and step into the shoes of others and how they would feel of they were stripped naked of their chosen Livelihoods and ask how they would feel if the show was on the other foot.

That includes Politicians and if they had their children's choices in life stolen from them with no recourse 

Alas our Legal systems provide for Recourse and Status Quo too.

[speed]

Will Goldstar kennels massive move to OZ affect field numbers?

[meomy]

Out of interest, what year did they ban the use of live Rabbits at Greyhound racing/ training establishments?

 

The population of Rabbits was at that time, in part controlled partly by the wider Ecological system, as in by Dogs, now they sell Opossum meat for Dogs in the Supermarket.

 

Where are the statistics for injuries / deaths of Greyhounds prior to then?

 

 

What year was Calcivirus introduced into New Zealand to control the spread of Rabbits?

Wild Rabbits used to also be a food source for human consumption.

Calcivirus, like most chemicals has had ongoing Consequences to Animal Welfare in general terms.

The Animal Welfare Act was introduced in 1999, era Y2K / Deregulation, after having not been reviewed for around 40 yrs - that of the late 1950's.

 

[Rules For Some]

Well its May 17th now and I dont see any fat ladies singing.

Only person I have seen trying to raise any sort of awareness has been Chloe Watson.

GRNZ and The board have completely failed to do anything here and most of the licensed holders seem to have either given up already or think somethings going to change.

You are never going to get this ban overturned in court like the board thinks they can, all of the parties agree on this stance and far bigger industries have been outlawed in NZ historically.

GRNZ and the LPs needed to get public support behind overturning the ban and quickly but I think the time for that has already passed now unfortunatly.