Freda

There seems to be a fair bit of dissatisfaction about their functions in other areas too.

My understanding was that the funding from NZTR was arranged in the early days of the Karaka Millions concept, and was for a finite time only. Purcell era I think. I was also told that Saundry did not favour the 'subsidy' because that is what it is, like it or not, from NZTR being extended past that initial setup phase. But, clearly, it has been. And while I have no problem with the day being made even more special, it was, and still is, a sales-promotion exercise and - IMO- should be funded by the sales company that benefits as well as the breeders.

Was idly listening to the TV early this morning while making a cup of tea, and heard comments attributed to a Catholic church somewhere about this topic; went something like, you're either a man or a woman, if you don't like it, go somewhere else !

Hopefully.

Yes, please let everyone see the discourse. Like Doomed, I think we need to be made aware of the quality of this organization and by association, the others by which we are overseen.

To be fair, I don't have a problem with Te Reo, and I don't think it does, or will do, any harm to teach kids another language. I learned French and Latin at school. Didn't hurt me at all - and Latin is a 'dead' language - although the basis for many spoken languages today. And what a buzz it was translating a passage actually written by Julius Caesar for a School C assignment. Local rider Rohan Mudhoo speaks English, French, Creole and Hindi - and also understands Urdu. All Mauritian lads I have met can converse readily in at least three of those. Scandinavian children are taught English [ or they were ] as a matter of course. Many from other jurisdictions - Singapore, Malaysia - know either English or French as the language of govt. and commerce, as well as native or local dialects. The brain is not like the memory in a smartphone, getting clogged up with too much information and needing to be decluttered. There is room for a lot more than we store there.! Many Kiwis I know don't even speak English well. Some exercise of the grey matter wouldn't hurt at all. However, as I reflected above - while native practices, both medical and otherwise, should be respected, and learned about wherever possible - to shove knowledge gained through accepted trials and research to the back, and/or make it irrelevant or less important, is dangerous and stupid in the extreme. IMO. And to end - the assertion in the initial article that modern medical science arose in western Europe in the 17th century, fails to recognise that Arab scholars and surgeons were active well before then with some very advanced knowledge indeed. I have seen evidence of cataract surgery carried out [ successfully ] much earlier, by an Arab surgeon in Spain.

Stable return can be done online and has for some time.

New season maybe? Haven't seen any indication of any change.

Yeah. I have to wonder how long it will take the Entain crew to work out the same thing.

Wednesday definitely. Pity, I was looking forward to a day at Oamaru, a long time since I've been down there. They used to have the best mutton pies.....but won't be attending unfortunately.

It seems the Oamaru folk - as well as the rest of us - have been bowled a shitty ball. That's nature, however, and the poor buggers in the north have been copping the most challenging weather for a long time now. We have missed the worst of it. The possibility is to defer until Wednesday, pending an inspection this morning at 8.a.m. Hopefully the decision can be conveyed to potential runners speedily, as training options will need to be adjusted as a result.

Can't say I blame you one iota.

The number-8-wire mentality, the can-do, common sense mindset that Kiwis used to be known for seems to have flown out the window, sadly. Watching news this morning about the tragic shooting in the Auckland CBD, I was struck by the time spent by various distressed-looking females worrying about 'how could this have been prevented ' well, fk me, lock up those violent pricks and leave them there. Accountability? Where? Home D is ok for tax fraud or traffic offences.

And that's how the system defeats you/us. It's all well and good for the Chief to call for meaningful dissension - put it in writing, approach this or that person or body, get a genuine consensus and protest en masse - but when confronted by obfuscation and buck-passing, people just become tired and disillusioned and go away. If stakeholders as a group made a stand for your club and /or accountability in management, maybe there might be some traction. But the majority are ignorant, lazy, don't care, or are just plain so wrapped up in the difficult business of running a 7-day-a-week business, dealing with owners, staff, planning programmes [ now that's a trying one ] and paying bills, that there is just no energy or will to protest. And when I say ignorant, I don't mean in the 'nasty' sense [ although there will be some of those too, no doubt ]. I mean, ignorant of how processes work and how racing is structured overall.

Great noms. again at Oamaru.

No spell check?

Maybe we'll see some innovative ideas in the new season. Probably we're being a bit harsh expecting major reshuffling before the season ends....but handicapping, programming and dates have been the subject of much discussion for a fair while with no discernable improvement. And to quote Nick Roberts ( again) - throwing money at the status quo is not sustainable. As S.A. reckons, take the money and run.

Teutonic?

Hmm...I'm no prude, but I fail to see why that is interesting in any shape or form.

Does anyone actually give a sh#t? I've never heard of anyone who listens.

I don't see the problem - unlike many here. Perhaps I'm missing something obvious, but - for starters - Entain is funding the slot purchase, it isn't coming out of 'our' money. If the involvement of a Kiwi runner creates even a frisson of interest in the wider public consciousness, then that has to be a big plus. That's where Entain's marketing and P.R expertise has to come into play, as up to date NZTAB's efforts in that arena are average to be kind. As for a 'Waikato Stud' horse, well, correct me if I'm wrong, but I Wish I Win would be the only horse with Kiwi connections remotely good enough.

I tend to agree. The lolly-scramble has so many so excited that there seems to be no idea at all that management and structures have to be upgraded to ensure continuity of this windfall. As Nick Roberts has stated [ loosely paraphrased ] more funding for the status quo is not the desired response.

Just had a look in now. Shame no comments for you, Gamma! A question for you...do you recall an ex-kiwi racing in pretty fair company in Qld called Hanz? Might have been before your time perhaps.

So, it boils down -still- to a five year stay of execution.

At least they are getting out of their box and showing some initiative. Time will tell if it a good one or not, but, jeez, the alternative - doing more of what we do well, i.e. nothing - is not really going to take us anywhere.