Chief Stipe

Nope. What's the takeout on Pokies? If 42% has to be returned to the community from pokies - what happens to the other 58%?

The fact you have been on about it is probably why AI picked it up.

Looking forward to the details of this plan. Free Pony Club membership @Huey ?

asked AI to do it for them. It took 2.3 secs. NZTR Industry Sustainability Plan (2025–2030) Vision: To ensure the long-term sustainability of New Zealand’s thoroughbred racing industry through ethical, environmental, and economically responsible practices — delivering value to horses, people, communities, and the country. Strategic Objectives Domain Objective Equine Welfare Ensure the health, safety, dignity, and lifecycle support of all racehorses Environmental Reduce environmental impact of training, racing, and breeding Economic Resilience Build financial sustainability and efficiency in club and industry operations Social License Maintain community trust, public support, and workforce wellbeing 1. Equine Welfare and Lifecycle Responsibility Goals: Promote best-practice care, injury prevention, and post-racing outcomes. Monitor and report horse health and traceability. Enhance NZTR’s licensing, auditing, and aftercare programs. Key Actions: Mandate the 5 Domains of Animal Welfare across all clubs and trainers. Expand the TiES series and fund second-career transition grants. Establish a National Thoroughbred Aftercare Fund (industry and levy supported). Complete roll-out of regional equine crematoriums (North & South Island). Launch a national racehorse tracking and data reporting system (via microchips). 2. Environmental Sustainability and Climate Readiness Goals: Reduce carbon and waste footprints of racecourses and training centres. Adapt facilities to climate risk (e.g., heat stress, storm resilience). Promote sustainable land and water practices on stud and training farms. Key Actions: Require all race clubs to complete a Toitū or equivalent baseline audit by 2026. Fund a “Green Track Upgrade Programme”: LED lighting, water recycling, solar. Publish NZTR’s Carbon and Waste Report (annually from 2026). Encourage eco-certification of transporters, stables, and feed suppliers. Partner with Mana Whenua to align land and water practices with Te Ao Māori values. 3. Economic Sustainability and Industry Modernisation Goals: Deliver consistent income and prize money to retain trainers and owners. Improve cost-efficiency across race clubs and operations. Leverage Entain–TAB partnership and digital innovation to grow wagering. Key Actions: Move to a two-tier race meeting system (Premier and Standard) with flat stakes. Complete a full venue utilisation and ROI audit across all clubs by 2026. Incentivise club mergers or collaborations based on financial and social returns. Deliver track infrastructure master plan with HRNZ (Project Stamina). Develop a national “Sustainability Innovation Fund” for club-led pilots (solar, composting, etc.) 4. Social License, Workforce & Community Impact Goals: Foster respect, safety, and diversity within the racing workforce. Communicate industry value to the public and racing communities. Build trust through transparency and ethical leadership. Key Actions: Introduce minimum employment and safety standards across training stables. Launch industry mental health and wellbeing support fund (riders, staff, owners). Partner with schools, iwi, and rural community orgs to promote racing pathways. Run annual “Thoroughbred Week” in major cities (parades, open stables, TiES shows). Publish public-facing reports on welfare, injuries, and aftercare outcomes. Implementation & Monitoring Action Frequency Responsible Party Annual Sustainability Report Yearly (starting 2026) NZTR + external auditor Progress Review Bi-annually NZTR Board + Welfare/Infra Committees Stakeholder Engagement Forum Annually Clubs, trainers, HRNZ, mana whenua Club Certification Tracker Live dashboard NZTR Industry Sustainability Unit

Since when did the takeout rates change? Vulgar compared to what? Lotto? Pokies? Casino? Racing isn't close to half their takeouts. BTW from what I've seen you post you have nothing to worry about from the Open Letter.

I realise @Murray Fish you are as thick skinned as some of us but seriously do you condone some of the stuff you have seen written? Sticks and Stones is your philosophy but each of these organisations have a responsibility to their licensees and staff. Sure some of the drivers for the vitriolic responses could be removed by the agencies doing their job properly and/or being responsive to the stakeholders they represent however that is not an excuse for misbehaviour. I've heard many stories about certain fiefdoms where stakeholders have been abused by industry employees and when complaining are met with what you called isolation, alienation and blackballing. But the good old industry is good at going "well I better live with it and not escalate it to the authorities as I'll be unable to train". So hopefully the Open Letter is a warning to those individuals and emboldening to those affected to do something about it.

It was sent on behalf of the named organisations who composed it - so the buck stops with the CEO's and Board's of each organisation. Those individuals are well known.

Why do you need to know the extent or severity? Isn't just enough to know that it is happening? Perhaps they are. Or if not this is a general warning. Personally I see nothing particularly wrong with the Open Letter. Some of the stuff I've seen has gone way over the top and in many cases really personal. The irony doesn't escape me that some of those that doth protest loudly are enabling some of it. Again it comes back to the Open Letter being a general warning. I wouldn't be surprised if recidivist offenders if licensed will be warned if they continue. Recently there have been attacks on here against licensed person. In one instance I spoke to the person targetted and they were OK as in their view the posts reflected more on the person who made them. Another was raised by the authorities and I hid the posts from public view and warned the poster. Now if a licensed person and/or the RIB choose to go down the filing a charge path then it becomes a very expensive exercise for all. If the person isn't licensed then the process of making a complaint to the Harmful Digital Communications Act via Netsafe can be chosen. I've seen cases where both thresholds have been reached. That is they have gone well past the Kevin Moreton standard.

Pretty tame for @Transparency aka Wightman. Perhaps he has too much invested now.

Take Colin Wightman for example. Surely the administration have an obligation to protect their employees from the outlandish abuse he dishes out. Sure he handed in his license so he could do that but he is still an owner and still can be seen in the stables on racedays.

What years? I can't imagine you being abusive though.

...and finish selling what's left of Trentham!

Well that's where we differ - in my opinion they are trying to shut down the abusive behaviour of a minority. I think you have taken it personally when the Letter was not pointed at you. Hopefully the letter is a warning shot to those miscreants. However there are underlying structural issues that need to be dealt to. Let's face it if it was all going swimmingly well then there wouldn't be any abusive behaviour. Although a couple of them would bitch regardless. I've been appalled at the behaviour of some. A friend of mine bought into their first horse two years ago and was really enjoying the experience but sadly has already seen the dark bitchy side from a dark few. Yes there are a few individuals in administrative positions in the formal organisations that need to be pensioned. Not because of their longevity but because of their attitude and an unwillingness to address the structural issues they largely created.

RV to trial new ratings www.racing.com Victoria is set to provide lower-rated horses with increased chances of success, with a trial introduction from September of new ratings categories. Racing Victoria on Thursday morning announced that, after a proposal from the Australian Trainers' Association and Thoroughbred Racehorse Owners' Association, the new ratings categories are set to better serve the vast population of horses with low handicap ratings in the 50s and 60s. "The creation of the new categories aims to provide these lower-rated horses, which make up a sizeable portion of the horse population, with more chances to compete against similarly matched opposition," the RV release stated. "The sliding prizemoney scale seeks to create a clear point of difference between categories to foster more competitive racing, whilst rewarding progression up the ratings bands." Https://bitofayarn.com The new categories and their minimum prizemoney levels are as follows: • Benchmark 66 / 0-66 - $27,000; • Benchmark 62 / 0-62 - $27,000; • Benchmark 56 / 0-56 - $22,000; and • Benchmark 52 / 0-52 - $22,000. RV said the new categories will be trialed throughout season 2025-26. WATCH: Hear from Aaron Morrison

Found it.NZTR 2025-27 Statement of Intent Approved.pdf NZTR 2025-27 Statement of Intent Approved.pdf

Do both. Use every available channel. You are on most social media sites.

You're an intelligent articulate man why don't YOU write an Open Letter in response? I'm happy for you to post it here.

Stop accepting mediocrity and worrying about what THEY might do to you. To be fair I've only seen two people stand up in the last 2 decades.

So it's a structural problem. Fix it

@the galah there is no excuse to become abusive. When you do you lose the argument straight away. What I've found is there are a lot of big talkers online some of whom are licensed some are not BUT they don't work together and use the structures and official avenues available to them to make change. Many don't even attend.

I disagree. Your post prompted me to read the letter again and in my opinion the letter makes a strong statement about the extreme abuse some individuals are resorting to. I just hope they act against the worst offenders.

Yeah I'm surprised NZ Racing has their head in the sand over the online casinos. The Government is in because they can see a new tax revenue for them to waste. However isn't there a contradiction where in OZ you can have a zillion bookmakers but zero online casinos? It would seem the punters that want choice must want EVERYTHING opened up. I don't see how that earns revenue for racing.

Lucky you!! You've missed some quite outlandish abusive posts from Wightman. LOL then again he did show himself up to be a hypocrite of the first order. He was quick to get into the OBC Trough when he sold a share in Pivotal 10.

Racing’s two codes look to join forces ww.nzherald.co.nz Racing’s two codes seek cohesive plan as big decisions loom By Michael Guerin Racing Editor·NZ Herald· Https://bitofayarn.com 11 Jul, 2025 12:19 PM New Zealand’s two horse racing codes are set to join forces to plan for the future. The thoroughbred and harness racing codes were once considered staunch rivals. Despite plenty of cross-over between owners, punters and trainers, the two codes used to compete for turnover. Those days are all but gone, with harness offering little competition on thoroughbred racing’s biggest days, while both codes benefit from a stronger overall turnover at the TAB. At present, racing’s percentage of TAB profits is also shared with greyhound racing. But that code is now slated for extinction next July, after the death sentence handed down by Racing Minister Winston Peters in December. That decision is being challenged by Greyhound Racing New Zealand, although it may not get to argue its case in court until as late as next March. The other two codes, commonly known as “the gallops” and “the trots”, have announced they will work together on their infrastructure issues and which tracks are likely to survive the next five years. Racing’s ageing infrastructure is one of its greatest concerns, with abandoned meetings on tired tracks costing the industry tens of millions in lost turnover and eroding owner and punter confidence. So NZ Thoroughbred Racing and Harness Racing NZ have launched Project Stamina, supported by the TAB, which will work towards answering the infrastructure questions hanging over the industry. Some of the biggest questions will be around the Waikato Greenfields project, the almost certain closure and sale of Avondale and the troubled Central Districts, where Hastings and Awapuni have had serious track problems and Trentham may need a new grandstand that it cannot realistically afford. In harness racing, the Auckland region will need a new training track once Franklin Park at Pukekohe is sold and, with so many potential projects looming, the two codes are better working together, especially when applying for funding from the TAB or the Government. Project Stamina’s main purpose, according to NZTR chief executive Matt Ballesty, is to move from “reactive maintenance to long-term, future-focused investment”. That could mean no longer fixing tracks that don’t work or will eventually be closed, and instead spending money on those that make long-term financial sense. Working out which tracks are which, overcoming parochial bias and building a cohesive and affordable plan is a mammoth undertaking. Ballesty and HRNZ boss Brad Steele say they plan to use consultants initially, but are quick to emphasise that their boards will be making the final decisions, with input from TAB NZ and the new TAB Advisory Committee, which contains some of New Zealand racing’s biggest players. Working together makes sense for the two codes as it ensures a sharing of information and what each hopes to achieve, especially important as they already share some venues and could end up working together on others. “We have reached a critical point that calls for bold decision-making,” says Ballesty. Project Stamina is about making the necessary decisions to ensure our infrastructure supports a thriving future for horse racing in New Zealand. “Working alongside Harness Racing NZ and TAB NZ, we have a chance to build something enduring and unified.” Steele echoed those sentiments and saw the potential in code collaboration. “This is a chance to reshape our future. Collaboration is key to creating venues that serve our people and our sport for generations. It’s time to build infrastructure that matches our industry’s potential.” Project Stamina is supposed to have a “first draft” of what the future of racing infrastructure may look like by December this year.

You are confounding different issues but perhaps this is just a warning shot. What is Wightman saying on FB?