Chief Stipe

Punters don't want to bet on AWT'S but we are going to have a significant proportion of our total races racing on them!

But what were their costs to the industry? You quoted they paid out $91k in stakes - at what cost? FFS the TAB is spending $80 million a year on a broadcasting platform that is overkill for our needs and a Fixed Odds Platform that hasn't delivered anything but problems. Both have generated ZERO extra revenue.

Now this is where we are being screwed - the shoddy broadcasting deal and the FOB platform: Note 23: Non Cancellable Contracts Technical services associated with the broadcasting of racing, telecommunications and fixed odds betting platform.

Well I've been slowly making my way through the detail of the Annual Report. Even with the Government handout of $45 million RITA needed to borrow another $10m to fund operating activities. The total borrowed on the on-demand facility is now $45 million. That revolving credit facility is now maxed out and expires August 2021. I also note that you could say that RITA/TAB NZ is now under a form of statutory management with payments having to have prior approval of Government!

Look at this bullshit from the Annual Report - classic spin. Many of us on here had called out the fact that the NZRB/RITA was trading insolvent 2 years out before we'd even heard of Covid-19. They'd pissed up against the wall $72 million in reserves! What they have written I'd go so far as to say are blatant lies if not fraud. Winston knew it that's why he was blunt about handing out the money - he made it quite clear that he knew the real reasons. What's more if their turnover was down only 5% how did they qualify for the wage subsidy?

How will they pay for this radicalism? WHERE IS THE REVENUE GOING TO COME FROM?!!!! Oh and by the way it has been going on for 20 years not just 2 and nothing has changed. Except now they have to raid everyone else's bank accounts to keep funding their insane policies!

Yes it defies logic. Just as the stupid tiered stakes structure defies logic in this country.

You call this change "radical"? It is just more of the same but at a faster pace. Seems like insanity to me to keep on doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

Pass but when I lived there in Hokitika 40 years ago there was three trainers - Cathy Wildbore, Johnny Hurren and Rod Collins. Damn near every dairy farmer had a broodmare or three. One family in particular - can't remember their names - had a big band of broodmares.

How many horses are trained at Riccarton currently?

Didn't need it before. Used to wait for the big boy upstairs to pull over that big shiny orange thing.

So why the hell spend $16m on an AWT at Riccarton if that's the case?

No he isn't bagging those days what he is saying I think that we have lost our way by focusing on the party rather than what differentiates us from every other gig in town - the sport of racing a fine animal.

No the main big race days stay the same and the days on which meetings are held stay the same. But a proportion of the latter are contested for. Need to introduce some market forces in somehow. If Westland was able to provide stakes above the average then why couldn't they have been given the opportunity.

Why? That isn't happening in OZ. Geez some of the clubs in OZ are in smaller towns than Hokitika. So by merging you are suggesting what the Messara report says - all move to Kumara and build a "better place". What for? One meeting a year? Or three in one week? What is wrong with a Club and its community having their own course if it costs the industry nothing? As Reefton said if trainers and owners stop going there then sure close down. But some of these clubs actually have the resources to provide better stakes than they do but aren't allowed to. Why not make the majority of race dates contestable? Set minimal criteria to hold a race meeting and then let the clubs bid for the dates based on the stakes they will provide. What do we have instead? Examples like the Karaka Millions - sweepstake races half funded by the rest of the industry. Races that don't generate sufficient revenue to cover costs!

Well then stop behaving like it is. Look a bit deeper at the numbers AFTER you subtract the advantages the big clubs have been given. Now explain to me how the high cost model of providing the product at Riccarton is going to raise stakes and sustain them AND maintain the new AWT? While you're at tell me how a multi million dollar IT development at NZTR is going to improve the product and generate more revenue?

What is your point? Regardless of any perceived parochialism by you any West Coaster will tell you that Kumara doesn't have a lot going for it as a racing venue.

Not that I'm suggesting that but it would cost the industry less and provide a better return on capital invested.

Sorry but can you tell me any decision that our administrators have made in the last 20 years that has made a difference? All you are promoting is that closing clubs down will save cost and generate more revenue. Yet there is no evidence to support that. Us mere uninformed mortals are not deigned important enough to even see the AWT business cases.

That's a false metric to use. NZTR make that choice and it is apparent that it isn't made on sound business rationale.

Irish would be your first language wouldn't it Reefton?

Yes and that wouldn't have involved Kumara in the future for any number of reasons. But Messara and NZTR deemed it to be "special" for what reasons many of us can't fathom.

LOL I suggest you don't go down the path of comparing on-course turnovers nor horse numbers. You might be stunned if you widened your analysis.

You missed my point which was in response to Freda's question on how does she kill her crayfish. It appears that a cray in a restaurant has more important feelings because it is commercial. The law only applies to the commercial killing of crays. Presumably amongst the 3,000 MPI employees each earning $115,000 a year we now have commercial cray killing inspectors. No doubt they regularly check the electric stun guns they recommend to use. The reference to the commercial fishing boat was asking how is a crayfish anymore of a sentinel being than a schnapper?

The population of Reefton is a damn sight more than Kumara which is 309.