Reefton

Well for a start the Westland action was prior to the new Act and entirely in line with their constitution that assets be disbursed for the benefit of the District. Bernard and his wanky mates were just pissed that Westland pulled such a simple stunt. He isn't on his own there either - there is of course a prominent licence holder without too much good to say about them but the people of the Westland District built up and owned those assets not the NZ Racing industry(and the cash came from the sale of excess ground anyway not from racing) I am not aware of any Clubs 'rolling over' - insofar as I know Dargaville didn't but when the writing is on the wall and you know the Act is like a big axe hanging over your head what option do you have? They negotiated a deal to retain for the locals at least something(I have no idea of the exact details). Just because the Ministerial prerogative has not been enforced does not mean the Act has not been used. As a know all like you will know there is a negotiation phase to go through and DIA requested submissions on how that is to be undertaken a few months back. We submitted but chances are, like most of those things, we were wasting our time. I submitted to the select committee myself but you could tell from the looks on their faces they had no idea what they were dealing with and even less interest but were just there to rubber stamp that idiot Winston's plans. Bunch of imbecile politicians and at the end one of them quietly said 'thanks for the lecture'. Effing arsehole. Incidentally National claim credit for that negotiation requirement but I note they still voted in favour of the Act when it passed. The dates for next season is another classic example - I set the entire programme out for them around our circuit including the affected Northern dates and what did the simpletons say 'oh we couldn't work out the schedule'. Instead of being honest and saying 'we are shitty over the Westland thing so you will get what you are given'. You really are out of your depth with the drink driving analogy aren't you? One reason an individual refrains from drinking home pissed (hopefully there is a social conscience there as well) is the threat of being caught and prosecuted. So whether there is an official implementation of the Act by a court appearance or not it has been enforced. Dargaville clearly knew the ultimate threat and went down the negotiation road. As for going to court to test the Act well the wording looks pretty clear to me. I would suggest any club that tests the Act's wording will be pissing into the wind and blowing their money on lawyers. It can be as legally flawed as it likes - it is the Act.

Listen Idiot Saying that is like saying the drink driving legislation has never been used on me. No it has never been enforced because I have(certainly in the last thirty years anyway - I was fairly naughty before that) worked within the law. It doesn't mean the law has not been applied. So is the Dargaville Racing Club going to push NZTR that hard that they(NZTR) decide to go to the Minister to enforce the legislation? No they didn't but that doesn't mean they(DRC) were not aware of the new Racing Act rules. They knew they existed and that they had to work within them. And of course Dargaville would be aware that dumb Ministers(especially in this government) can't think for themselves and that they just take their official's advice and do as they are told.

There are no young enthusiastic people. I stood in the birdcage six or so years ago and told them straight the Club was finished if we did not get more committee. Called a Special GM - yes we got half a dozen new people but none younger than me. I would be gone tomorrow if anyone showed the slightest sign of wanting to step up. But equally there is no point in chucking a hospital pass to someone.

Still better than an R74. One wonders if an R85 field is of the same quality as it might have been five years ago.

Don't you? Look at the way they treated Westland who sidestepped their plans. A club flush with cash(well they were) all revved up with no place to go. Reduced to disposing of what the have left by sponsoring the other Clubs becuase they are not allowed a meeting of their own (even if not on their own course). And a committee now of two

they've got the power to do it and if a club steps out of line I would say they(NZTR) would use it

they came to an arrangement The Club did not melt under pressure

Only problem is if there are only five or six opportunities each year in the south for horses which are not Riccarton material why would you keep one? The Winter Cup this year looks a high enough rated race based on nominations. There are ten so so R85 plus nags there which I think is a bit better than past years

Yeah I just wonder if we can cling like the proverbial to a blanket it might be a last man standing situation for the Coast clubs. But then again I suppose if they shut down most of the country clubs there will probably not be the horses available to participate at what is left.

I can see what a big difference it is making(not!)

All fair comment. Messara has been creeping in slowly but surely via the back door In our case we are pretty agreeable now but lack the firepower enthusiasm and ability wise to do anything more than tread water. If those standards had been set in place we would all have been out the door immediately BUT there would have been one or two metro clubs that would have battled to meet the standards as well

so what are you doing to help the plight of the industry?

Does being a dick come naturally to you or do you have to work at it? Ask Richard Alspach

The problem is Ashburton (I would assume) nobody with the enthusiasm to tell them to get stuffed Mike. I am not pissing in my own pocket but if I hadn't attacked Saundry verbally at Omoto that day and in our submission we would be gone too. I even think he begrudgingly respected that(he certainly greeted me with a smile afterwards) Riccarton will just use the AWT if their grass track gets hammered. After all the NZ public gave it to them.

You make a lot of very good points Pam but the corporate culture pervading NZ Racing now is not interested in anything other than the big city venues. I always said market forces would let clubs know when it was time to chuck the towel in and probably the lack of active and enthusiastic participants on committees(a pretty thankless job to be fair) is an example of market forces. But that issue afflicts the rugby clubs and the golf clubs and the school committees and tons of other voluntary organisations. Even the Trusts set up to administer the likes of Waterlea will find it tough to recruit Board members. Fraught with risk and no real job satisfaction(and no thanks either - likely to be some social media poster telling you the demise of the industry is all your fault)

The tragedy is the committees, even in the big clubs, are rapidly losing enthusiasm and this just creates the opportunity for the easy way out to be taken. I would think Levin were told if they sell their land they have to give it to Race otherwise NZTR would seize the proceeds(they have caveats on all Club properties under that Act so you can't sell swap lease subdivide or anything else without Code approval) What the big Clubs do have is the high paid executives with plenty of time on their hands to woo smaller clubs into basically giving them the tracks and infrastructure to administer. Years ago clearly the CJC did that with the North Canterbury Clubs and now has the Rangiora prize to squander. No doubt Riccarton will have taken over admin of the Bank Peninsula asset and will eventually worm their way into ownership and the talk is they are headed the same way with Ashburton. So the CJC slowly but surely ends up owning everything. I should imagine the ATR deal was similar. Counties committee losing interest and along come the Auckland CEO full of BS about how they would take over the running and what benefits would flow and so on. If you have lost interest it is a nice way out though if any of those Counties guys are Pukekohe retailers they might not be too impressed with being deprived of their biggest weekend of the year! Committees cannot be blamed for it - like the owners trainers and punters they have been treated like mushrooms all the way and no wonder enthusiasm levels are rock bottom. I know we are the piddly relation but that lack of initiative to participate afflicts us too - only thing we are far enough away that Riccarton will not be interested but it is significant that if they shut Timaru(a matter of time one feels) there will only be two racecourses north of the Waitaki in the south bar the three Coast courses. To be fair we cling by a thread - one bad day/cancellation will just about see the Kumara committee wave the white flag out of frustration and Greymouth have major issues with their bridge onto the course which is going to be hard and expensive to fix(that is the escape route if it floods because the other exit would already be 2m under by the time an evacuate call is made). If either of them two falter where does that leave us? But anyway we are a pimple on the arse of the universe in terms of NZ racing but if it got down to only two venues north of the Waitaki??? in an unexpected way the Messara recommendations are coming to fruition slowly but surely. The big are gobbling up the small. Sad

Pretty clear you are drifting well out of touch. You know about as much about the ills of NZ racing as you know about track preparation and you for some reason have a Riccarton fixation. Correcting the Riccarton issues (whatever they may be) will go only a tiny tiny way to alleviating the overall issues in NZ racing. Still I suppose while you are whinging about Riccarton you are giving poor old Pitty a break

Schmidt was not part of the AB's set up until he became a selector after last weekend(well that is the story being stated in the newspapers) Apart form that week pre the first test of course

shows how out of touch you really are becoming

'It wasn't Wembley'??????? I find that comment offensive and what's more you have hurt my feelings! I'm going to tell Aunty Jacinda on you

Well I am sure Meuenza(or whatever he calls himself) will be delighted to hear it and commend you on your splendid judgement Doomed.

No doubt the field was looking in splendid condition just like the racecourse that runs around it. Not that I am patting myself on the back like(but you lot are welcome to compliment its presentation if you like - I'm a bit down today so need some cheering up)

So what? He was also coached by NZ's second most successful Super Rugby Coach at the Crusaders one R Deans. Another who got shafted by NZRFU when he ought to have got the top job based on his superior super rugby record. And he may have been coached by the guy who perhaps should have the AB's job now Feek is the scrum coach(replaced the bloke Cron didn't he?). Scrums were hardly a shining light aspect in the AB's last three matches. For all that I know eff all about coaching and eff all about Feek so who am I to critique him(or Foster for that matter) other than to point out known facts. As I said previously this thread was started to compare the way NZRFU and NZTR operate not bag the shit out of one or more individuals who will be down in the dumps right now and have limited opportunity to respond. Far be it from me to drive the boot in.

So what? Joe Schmidt has only just taken over as a selector(after Saturday) and has no coaching role with the AB's (other than being called in when Foster was crook with Covid before the first test and then the reports are varied about how much input he had). He is not, and apart from that never has been, a part of the coaching group. FFS get with the programme!

Coast only has six senior teams and no second grade so not much better Was Reefton playing at home? If so of course it is in the middle of the racecourse. Even if they survive for years yet Sharrock and Bernard and their mob intend to take their field and clubrooms away from them. Not that the rugby crew believe me when I tell them that they are under threat. I think they think I am making it up(in fact I think our Harness Racing Club is quite nonchalant about it as well) Thanks Winston. Much appreciated