Chief Stipe

National soars in new poll, as voters agree country is ‘on track’, Chris Hipkins crashes record low www.nzherald.co.nz Voters appear to have warmed to the Government over the summer break, with the first poll of the new year showing National breaking the 40 per cent threshold. National hit 41 per cent in January, a massive jump from the 36.5 per cent it scored in the December poll. It’s a first for this particular poll, which began in 2021, a particularly bad period for the party. The poll comes from Curia market research, which also conducts National’s internal party polling. It is comparable with the Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll which has been paused over summer. The last time a party polled above 40 in the poll was in February 2022, when Labour polled 42.3 per cent. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. Now, Labour is static on 28.4 per cent. The Greens polled 9.5 per cent, down one point. Act rose from 6.3 per cent last month to 7.8 per cent in January. NZ First polled 5.6 per cent, down from 8.1 per cent last month. Te Pāti Māori fell to 3.6 per cent from 5 per cent. Those scores would give National 51 seats, Act 10 seats, and NZ First 7 seats. Labour would have 36 seats, the Greens would have 12, and Te Pāti Māori would have 6. The poll has more bad news for Labour, with leader Chris Hipkins crashing 9 points as preferred prime minister, a new low for a Labour leader in this poll, opening up an 18-point gap with Christopher Luxon who was up one point to 31 per cent . Hipkins polled 35 per cent as preferred prime minister when he took over the job a year ago. AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME. Luxon has overtaken Hipkins in the favourability stakes too, with a net favourability of 5 per cent, compared to Hipkins’ 3 per cent. Favourability is comprised of polling how many people view a politician favourably and unfavourably. The unfavourable number is subtracted from the favourable number to give a net favourability ranking. Luxon is more favoured than Hipkins, but also slightly more unfavoured. Forty-two per cent of people view him favourably, compared with 37 per cent who see him unfavourably. The figures for Hipkins are 37 per cent and 34 per cent. Act leader David Seymour has a favourability of -14 per cent, up from -19 per cent last month, and NZ First leader Winston Peters has a rating of -24 per cent - a huge improvement on last month’s rating of -36 per cent. The poll registered another significant milestone: for the first time since February 2022, more people think the country is on the “right track” than the “wrong track”. A net 4 per cent of people say the country is heading in the right direction - a massive jump from December when a net 19 per cent of people believed the country was heading in the wrong direction. That shows a massive course correction in public sentiment which had seen a net 42 per cent of people think the country was heading in the wrong direction by the middle of last year. It is still a long way off the heady days of January 2021 when a net 53 per cent of people believed the country was heading in the right direction. National has opened up a lead with Labour on all major voting issues. Last month Labour was ahead on just one: health. Now, National is ahead on health, polling at 32.6 per cent as the party best at dealing with health issues, ahead of Labour which polled 30.9 per cent. The largest lead was on the economy, where National polled 54.7 per cent, compared to 20.1 per cent for Labour - a massive reversal from 2021, when Labour once out-polled National on the economy. The poll may just be registering a “summer bump”. It’s sometimes felt that people feel happier about the status quo after some time off at the beach over Christmas. Advertisement CONTENT RESUMES ON SCROLL Advertise with NZME. Whatever the cause, it will be welcome news to the National Party, which will gather this week in Christchurch for its caucus retreat, ahead of the political year starting in earnest. The poll was taken between Monday, January 8 and Wednesday, January 10. It polled 1000 respondents, giving the poll a margin of error of 3.1 per cent. Thomas Coughlan is Deputy Political Editor and covers politics from Parliament. He has worked for the Herald since 2021 and has worked in the press gallery since 2018.

Did you go to Christ's College? They're well known for abandoning their roots and pretending they came from elsewhere.

FFS have you ever reported to or been on a Board? Here is a link for you to educate yourself. 😕 😞 sigh! https://www.iod.org.nz/resources-and-insights/new-to-governance/board-roles/# Role of the chair The chair plays an important role in the operation of the board with one of their main duties being to set the agenda and run board meetings. They are responsible for guiding the meeting to clear outcomes for management to carry out. The chair should invite all possible views on an issue and then work to a consensus decision between board members. The chair should ensure all decisions are understood and recorded. The chair must provide leadership in developing an effective governance culture and ensuring there are strong communication flows between the board and management. The chair is the main link with the CEO and this relationship is critical.

Take time out with the mentality unstable. Some of utterances are getting more and more irrational and bizarre. Mind you that probably appeals to you.

Why is it "daft and not feasible"? They have to go somewhere. NZ is short of good Jockeys and quarantine issues with the horses can be overcome. But I take what you post with a grain of salt as you have admitted you have no interest in investment in the industry.

I would have thought that the obvious strategy would be to get the horses, trainers, jockeys and staff into NZ. You'd probably find that the punter fans would follow either in person or online.

LOL in communist China maybe but its called a Board of Directors not a Board of Dictators. Keep trying Pasta!

So you now agree she is guilty? Yeah hopefully Chloe Swarbick gets the message.

But the CHAIRMAN doesn't on his own! Doh! Even then they approve only above a certain level e.g. your job as policy analyst support intern wouldn't go to Board level. Actually you have negative knowledge.

The biggest flaw in the report is it relies heavily on a NZ RIB report.

Stirrer! Publishing a report funded by an organisation whose sole objective is the banning of Greyhound Racing. Surely you're not suggesting that's Chazza's aka @Yankiwi 's objective?

Your point? The Government has still been working. Hell they dealt to that silly trainset idea! Cost over $230m and not one piece of track laid! Here's hoping that the commercial building market picks up and this Government can make a profit on the buildings the previous one purchased. I'd have thought you'd be keen that the Parliament didn't get back early - less pressure on your public service job.

Your point? Besides the Chairman of the Board doesn't approve these appointments. But why doesn't it surprise me that you don't know how corporate business works!

Social media and security cameras.

BTW that's twice I've posted it correctly. While you're at it - what is the accepted norm % for Greyhound injury during racing?

So what is your analysis for this apparent incongruity?

Macau racing to end | RACING.COM www.racing.com Despite its rich history, horse racing in Macau is due to end in April this year, following the announcement that the Macau Jockey Club is set to terminate its contract with the Macau Government to race there. Zhang Yongchun, the Secretary for Administration and Justice for the Macau Government, stated through local media that the MJC had approached the government in 2023 about cancelling its contract to operate horse racing in the former Portuguese colony. The MJC's apparent reasons for this were due to their operational difficulties and the inability of horse racing activities to meet the current development needs of society. Despite this, the MJC continued to employ new staff members during this time, while owners had purchased horses with the intention of racing in Macau, not knowing there were plans to end the sport. It was only in 2018 that the MJC had its contract to run racing extended until August 2042. According to the Government, the declining popularity of racing in Macau led to the decision to accept the MJC's request to terminate the contract. While the MJC and the Government finalise the plans for the end of the MJC's tenure at Taipa Racecourse, close to several of the city's major casinos, racing will continue in Macau until April 1. Plans will also be put into place for the MJC's staff as well as the transportation of the horses there to new homes. The Macanese Government has also revealed that there will be no public tender for another operator to take over the horse racing licence in Macau, with the land that the racecourse is situated on to be handed back to the government. The MJC currently employs 570 staff and has approximately 205 horses racing in its jurisdiction, well below its one-time peak population figure of 1200 horses. Some of the world's great jockeys like Frankie Dettori and Lester Pigott, as well as Australia's Damien Oliver and Glen Boss, have all ridden in Macau. Other Australians like Noel Callow and trainer Mick Kent also enjoyed stints in Macau racing, while Australian horses make up a significant percentage of the thoroughbred population there. One source with a lengthy connection to the MJC had expressed hope that a new entity could take over the racing licence and give the industry a new life, pointing to the large population that lives in the region and the high volume of tourists that Macau attracts. The source also noted the strength of commingled pools between jurisdictions around the world as further evidence that Macau racing could be a successful venture for the right operator. "What a golden opportunity is being missed here," the source told Racing.com. "You've got a racetrack here that has been constructed, horses are here, it's proven in the past to be a very successful venture. It has just been awfully managed over the last decade or so." The news comes after the Singapore Turf Club announced last year that racing will end there in October 2024.

Go easy she is NZ's first refugee MP...whatever that means!

Fitting name.

New Scoring System Will Reduce Non-Listed Stakes www.bloodhorse.com The North American International Cataloguing Standards Committee announced Jan. 10 it will adjust how non-listed black-type stakes in the United States are rated beginning in 2025 with the goal of reducing the number of stakes that fall into this category of races that is unique to the United States and Canada. "Effective Jan. 1, 2025, the minimum Race Quality Scores (RQS) for non-listed black-type races in SITA catalogs (those compliant with guidelines required by the Society of International Thoroughbred Auctioneers) will be increased due to the gradual growth in the ratio of non-listed black-type races to total races run," the committee said in a statement. North American graded stakes and listed stakes are evaluated annually to ensure the quality of the fields attracted continue to match the status awarded to each race. Non-listed stakes are not evaluated, so the NAICSC in 2014 implemented an automated rating system to monitor the quality of these races. Each non-listed stakes receives a quality score that is derived from the speed figures for the first four finishers. The four speed figures are used to compile the RQS and are provided by Bloodstock Research Information Services, Daily Racing Form's Beyer Speed Figures, Equibase Speed Figures, and Thoro-Graph. Each race has two quality scores—the RQS for its most recent running and a three-year average. In order to keep or earn black-type status, both of these scores need to exceed a minimum RQS set by the NAICSC. Six minimum RQS scores exist for specific conditions by age and sex. If both of these scores fall below the minimum RQS score, then a race will lose its black-type status. A race will need to be run two consecutive years subsequent to losing its black-type status before it can be reconsidered to earn back black-type. Sign up for BloodHorse Daily The new scoring system is as follows: New vs. Old Race Quality Scores Age/Sex Current Min. RQS Revised RQS* 3yo and up males 63.7 66.9 3yo and up females 55.8 58.6 *New minimum scores effective as of Jan. 1, 2025 As of 2023, a total of 1,193 races in the U.S. and Canada were being monitored under the non-listed black-type system. Last year, 966 of these races were rated as black-type stakes. If the new, higher minimum scores are applied to the non-listed stakes that qualified for black type in 2023 and 2024, then 59 stakes are poised to lose their black type in 2025. Photo: Coady Photo Of these stakes that would lose black type are eight at Remington Park, with four of them being divisions of the Oklahoma Classic Stakes for state-breds: the Oklahoma Classics Distaff Sprint Stakes, Oklahoma Classics Sprint Stakes, Oklahoma Classics Cup Stakes, and the Oklahoma Classics Distaff Turf Stakes. Other state-bred stakes would take a hit, too, including the Iowa Stallion Stakes and Iowa Breeders' Derby; WA Cup Juvenile Colts and Gelding Stakes and WA Cup Filly and Mare Stakes; West Virginia Thoroughbred Breeders Association Onion Juice Breeders' Classic Stakes and West Virginia Cavada Breeders' Classic Stakes; and, the Maryland Million Turf Sprint Stakes. Carl Hamilton, NAICSC chairman, said the committee well understands the impact the higher minimum scores will have but that the rating system is important in preserving the integrity associated with black-type status. "We look at this by individual track and we understand the races that are potentially impacted," he said. "The committee is sensitive to individual regions but at the same time, we need to apply a minimum standard to all races. We do not feel it would be fair to start making exceptions."

I asked you to explain why a one turn track has double the injuries of a two turn track.

Investing in Cambridge infrastructure is a dead-end as well.

I should've written the comment in a different coloured font as you failed to detect it was dripping with sarcasm. I note you have avoided explaining your newly created statistic that defies logic. But then the majority of your statistics are worthless as they are not normalised and are biased. Not to forget they have no reference to any standard nor any measure of variance or probability.

I thought the same thing. Then I thought how small Ellerslie looks now. Not one horse trained on the track and now they only have ONE turf track. The turf trial track now seems to have a tar seal road around the circumference. Did anyone else notice the Ute driving on the tar seal in FRONT of the field? I guess they won't run trials there so maybe they'll need Avondale after all.