Reefton

Victoria Park is Maori lease(which is why the GTC gave it up). The issue there is the owners who do not seem to care. Entirely different issue for a block of land that the WRC owned outright

I agree 100%. Though giving it to a council means it will probably be pissed up against the wall just as badly as the NZ racing Industry blows dosh I thought it was a great move on the WRC's part at the time. But if Bernard and co had not been bulls at the gate they could have withdrawn the permit after the new Act was passed or waited until the inevitable club collapse then swooped in. But they had to play the big man.......

Housing NZ or whatever they call themselves is the partner with the WDC and like all government departments they will keep writing the cheques out for the taxpayer to pay. You can do anything with enough money and hydraulic excavators. Did you think the WDC was just going to sit there doing nothing with it? You might be as silly as your mates at NZTR Hello???

News in tonight's paper $13 million dollar development of ex Hokitika racecourse for housing All NZTR had to do was be patient - that Club would have folded and they would have got the lot. It was plainly obvious and I told one B Saundry that. So the industry misses out on another 50% as much as the Entain $25m deal and in exchange got the princely sum of $1 on the sale to the Westland District. For all those who whinge about what the Westland RC did you should focus on the real cause of this issue - the way the WRC was treated by Petone and in particular the repeated comment 'the status quo is not an option' They only needed to do one thing....... The Messara report's greatest achievement to date. His first recommendation should have been to get some people with a vague idea of what they were doing in charge FFS!!!!!!

Reefton is rapidly shortening stride - I am finishing my Presidency at the coming AGM, getting off the committee as well and am smashing my head against a brick wall with the RIB merely wasting my time Why bother trying to help an industry that does not want to be helped?

NZTR had a meeting with them but there is nothing they can do. In our case NZTR, recognizing there was nothing wrong with that track, paid us our full meeting fees despite dire threats to Clubs producing 'abandonment' tracks in the weeks before. For that I have to say I am very grateful to NZTR The people to rein them in are either the Minister(who has thrown his hands up and refused) and the Chairperson who refers everything back to the CEO despite the fact that the said CEO, along with his Chief Stipe have clearly committed a serious breach of the NZTR rules of racing. The Chairperson is a KC - one would have thought she would have some idea of the concept of independence. And I am getting the stitch because of the time involved and lack of meaningful progress.

sorry Bit stressed about the way the hierarchy treats the small clubs these days (and historically) Despite the big crowds the Coast attracts in January for instance they refuse to give us another day. They clearly don't want people going to the races and enjoying themselves. We've now given up asking

Don't think it is the Country tracks - it is the winter racing that doesn't appeal. Put an Oamaru meeting on in the height of summer and there might be a few more attendees For all that the first post from Pam indicates how much this particular meeting DOES appeal to stakeholders judging by the excellent fields they have managed to attract

On rereading it I am a bit harsh on him. he said he would not do anything but referred it back to the Chair of the RIB(who was a co addressee of the letter) - she promptly passed it on to Clement - the CEO - who was one of the two subjects of the complaint. Another frustrating episode in this saga of trying to get that mob to own up to making a mistake(and mistake might be a generous way of putting it)

Actually I should learn how to spell actually

Hi everyone Hopefully someone will know the answer to this question. To who does the RIB answer? After our debacle on January 5th and about ten to and fro letters to the RIB I complained to the Minister of Racing about their behavour He replied and basically said he has no authority to investigate or question them and so could not help. So who the hell does this outfit answer to? thanks Brian Molloy

Geo blocking is anti competitive behaviour in my view. The commerce commission ought to have something to say

buggered if I know and buggered if I care How do Grant Robertson and that mob suddenly find billions of dollars for whatever wanky and wacky idea that takes their fancy? Seems to be pretty easy when you are not spending your own dosh!

Only too true SA Everything is a good news flash but you know there are gravely serious issues being brushed under the carpet

I was charmed Pam charmed.... Just added the BS word for dramatic effect Go you good thing!!!!!!!!!

I'll be writing nothing I have written far too much to the RIB over the utterly disgraceful way we were treated in January and the bullshit they have paraded as the truth in the meantime. One wonders how they think they will get away with it when they have so many witnesses(and multiple highly qualified ones). Bottom line at the moment is this - if nobody steps up when we have the AGM I will be moving a motion to put the Club into recess. I've done thirty plus years for that Club, rarely get a thank you apart from one Committee Member who tries to kid me along to stay on, I've saved it from the axe not once but twice, I've got my own problems in business and life and to be fair I am tired and bored with the racing game. It is only the charm of one PM Robson who has bullshitted me into taking another share just recently! Can't bloody help myself They(the hierarchy of the NZ Racing Industry) can stick it fair up their jacksee!

If Entain is as progressive as people seem to think then why does it need a monopoly on NZ punting? Surely they will assert their superior product and service and the(serious) NZ punters will come flooding back? Giving them carte blanche strikes me as a way to ensure that their customers will, in the absence of alternatives, be given second class treatment.

Not many 'racing focused folk' about these days from where I am sitting. Problem is they are an elderly and dying breed. But I know what you mean

Thanks Pam No drinks no celebrations of any sort just a phone that rang hot for five minutes. Didn't even back him. I guess I should be thrilled but really in this game the disappointments outnumber the thrills so to avoid huge disappointment I do not have high expectations with any nag. By reverse I do not get too excited when one manages to salute. He was/is a trotting man but I remember Trevor Craddock saying 'My old man used to reckon you should celebrate your losses not your wins in the racing game. You get more piss ups that way'

Our sponsors won't really care TC. It really is just a donation to keep the club going(as I do myself). Our are more likely to chuck it in after the manner in which the RIB officials behaved last January I think the vast majority of sponsorship in this country is really a donation now isn't it? Pretty limited benefit. I've sponsored the Club for a hundred years but I have never had a new client walk in and say 'I see you sponsor the Reefton Races' Though to be fair the race I sponsor usually carries someone else's name(often a Memorial like it was supposed to be this year)

Well if they do pick up an overseas punter they are business people so they are hardly going to share the profits with the NZ racing industry are they? No no no this new punter will be taken aside and offered all manner of sweeteners from their offshore operations. it will be strictly the NZ profits(if any) they will be sharing

If that is the case it is hard to see where savings or increased revenue is going to come from. Any serious punter using those offshore agencies will soon get around the blocking of sites so the 'monopoly' is hardly going to be particularly effective

my thoughts entirely. The NZ Harness racing might be of a good quality by international standards and I suppose greyhounds are greyhounds but not sure the NZ Thoroughbred product quite matches up to the worlds best. Big job to attract international punters to that schmoozle!

You have clearly researched this a lot more than I. To be fair I cannot be bothered as I fervently hope I am out of the game come the next AGM and I am still trying to(verbally) smash some honesty into the RIB It is reassuring that all will be well with this thing

Correct but Sharrock commented how they are obtaining commissions from nine(?) different gambling organisations at the opening of the Riccarton synthetic. Presuming one is the NSW TAB (Tab Corp(?)) if NZ moves to stop Kiwis betting with TAB Corp then TAB Corp stops providing coverage of NZ races so as to lessen the attractiveness of the product to Aussie punters(you don't want to bet on it if you can't see it) TAB Corp puts pressure on Sky Racing(for all I know they might own it or a fair piece of it) to downgrade or remove NZ coverage whether direct or through the Racing organisations over there. Slowly but surely they strangle whatever remaining interest Aussie punters have in our product thereby repaying the NZ government for making Entain the monopoly. Then when renegotiation of the access deals to Aussie racing take place watch the commission rates go up(that will be Entain's issue but at the end of the day Entain's NZ punters will pay). NZ Racing needs Aussie racing a lot more than Aussie needs NZ. From an NZ Club perspective say the worst comes to the worst and Entain say they will no longer service our meetings we would want to have options to run our totes. If TAB Corp or whoever offer a better percentage commission deal we might use them for our on course operations. If Entain has the monopoly we (1) do not have any option but to use them and (2) do not have any bargaining power to extract extra commissions. AND if we have a deal with the Aussie(not that Reefton would be terribly appealing) we might be promoted to better coverage. If I am the Entain Accountants and want to wring extra profit out the first thing I will focus on is outlying courses that are expensive to service. The argument can't win with the TAB because at the end of the day they have a responsibility to the industry that set them up(and I contend owns them) but Entain have no such obligation - and I will bet will resist any imposition of that type of obligation. Sure they will retain the current TAB staffing but as natural attrition takes hold there is no way the current TAB staff levels will be maintained.