curious

No. There is a statutory requirement to produce audited annual financial reports and present them to the minister who must present them to the house. No statutory requirement for a six monthly report. That said, the Minister's Letter of Expectation to Mr. McKenzie said: Reporting RITA is to provide written financial and non-financial reports to the Minister for Racing and the Department not later than 4 weeks following the end of each quarter. I may alter this frequency depending on RITA's performance and risks. The Department will specify the requirements for these reports. In addition, there is a "no surprises" expectation, under which RITA is required to inform my office and the Department of any material matter that arises and respond promptly to information requests received from the Department or my office. I made an OIA request to the DIA for the second and third quarter reports. However, the DIA responded saying these were not held by the DIA. Presumably, that means RITA have not submitted them as required by the Minister.

Where is it a statutory requirement? I don't think so.

That's the board. Not the CEO if I'm reading correctly. It will be up to the board to decide on the CEO won't it?

That's the board as well as the CEO?

Nice bloke actually. Always got on well with him. Worked with him a bit when he was at Blandford and again at NZTR. He's done well at Wyong. The new RB could do worse I'd say and it doesn't seem clear what he is going to do. The RITA CEO position closed in February but I haven't heard a dickey bird so was just wondering.

Bloodhorse? Or was it Racing & Breeding magazine in the 80s? May have resurfaced as Bloodhorse?

Prior to that of course, he was general manager of Blandford Lodge Stud until it was wound up in 1992 when he became GM of the Manawatu Racing Club.

Has he resigned to take up the CEO position for RITA's successor organisation shortly?

So, where exactly were the cost savings supposed to come from?

OK. So, is there a separate contract for the supply of odds? I thought that was the whole point so RITA didn't have to employ their own bookies to frame all the markets.

I didn't think the $17m p.a. is to do with the website installation per se is it? That's been paid for hasn't it? I thought that annual payment was for the provision of odds to/for the FOB platform?

They should be well used to that. Maybe immune to it. Good thing their loan is guaranteed by RITA.

I appreciate that it may be less convenient but you don't need wifi and you can still use the phone for calls. You'd turn the radio down or off for those anyway.

What's wrong with just using the radio button?

Yip.

The Queen has been photographed riding in the grounds of Windsor Castle - her first public appearance since the coronavirus lockdown began. The 94-year-old monarch was pictured on a 14-year-old Fell Pony called Balmoral Fern over the weekend. She regularly rides in the grounds of Windsor, which is said to be her favourite royal residence. The Queen has been isolating there with her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, 98, and a small number of staff. Wearing a colourful headscarf and smartly dressed in a tweed jacket, jodhpurs, white gloves and boots, the Queen can be seen in the new photographs taken by the Press Association riding during the weekend's sunny weather

I imagine the committee and a few other member volunteers will be out there after training every morning picking up the shit before the track is harrowed won't they?

https://loveracing.nz/OnHorseFiles/Downloads/NZTR Strategic Plan 2015.pdf

We have the best of both. Pay nothing to government (in fact the revrese) and a huge volunteer added value but still can't survive.

It probably won't really matter anyway. There's obviously no-one left at the TAB who knows the difference.

I don't think you are. I didn't say that did I? I think the $20m the industry has to find for them would likely be better spent on existing tracks at this point.

If you take Riccarton as an example (correct me if I'm wrong Pitty) but I think they've been running about 27 meetings a year there on the grass and my understanding is that the committee feels that has the grass course pretty maxed out. If they go to 40 meetings there, then you'd think that might mean say 15 of them on the AW, mostly over winter. I guess there's also the possibility that some meetings could be run using both courses as is common in the US between dirt and turf.

Yes, I imagine they'll be used mainly in the winter.

No! There are 6 AWT meetings scheduled for the AW at Cambridge next season. Add maybe 1 or 2 transfers. Most Riccarton meetings will be on the turf. Perhaps a similar half a dozen on the AW.

I know a lot of people still operating at level 3 and working from home if possible is a level 2 recommendation anyway isn't it?