Reefton Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 (edited) Nice to see the boys are heading out to the scrub to face the music from the affected Clubs(and since the Coast carries a disproportionate amount of the 'close' tracks very decent of them to schedule one for the Western Side of the Alps on Feb 22nd) However.... Geography is clearly not their strong point as they have scheduled it for Westport - there has not been thoroughbred racing in Westport for twenty years and whats more NZTR is seeking to close down the other track in the Buller(Reefton) in its new policy of 'lets not bother at all with the Northern South Island' What is disturbing though is that we all live in bloody Greymouth or south of Greymouth a minimum of an hour and a half away! Surely they can make more of an effort to come to us! I guess it is one why of avoiding that grumpy a#*ehole President of the RJC! In other news the NZRB haven't managed to get us the dates draft because of problems with their email(strangely they emailed us to tell us they couldn't get an email through to us - not sure how the second one worked but the first apparently didn't) The Keystone Cops comes to mind Edited February 3, 2019 by Reefton grammar 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 You're kidding me? Westport?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted February 3, 2019 Author Share Posted February 3, 2019 26 minutes ago, Chief Stipe said: You're kidding me? Westport?! Nope! Needless to say we have advised that it is unacceptable as a venue. I would assume they are trying to save money as there is a direct Wellington Westport flight(rather than Wellington - Christchurch - Hokitika) And they will not want to visit venues because they would discover that the superior venue in every way(except circumference) on the West Coast is of course Reefton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freda Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 so.....who the hell do they think they are going to meet with..in Westport..? ye gods....and they want to run our industry...ffs 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pitman Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Tell them to go to bureau I sent them a map of the South Island a few years back, probably got filed 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 Quite sad this is, and these are the people that are going to save racing in NZ, like the new CEO of NZHR he will have to be superman, operating with same board, God and Winston help us all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 (edited) Bernard(who to his credit is fronting up himself) has indicated he is happy to meet wherever we want. Just thought that we might want to go meet him in Westport. I did suggest in an email to him that some of the faceless mob that make up his Board should have the guts to front as well. Edited February 4, 2019 by Reefton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimbu Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 4 minutes ago, Reefton said: Bernard(who to his credit is fronting up himself) has indicated he is happy to meet wherever we want. Just thought that we might want to go meet him in Westport. I did suggest in an email to him that some of the faceless mob that make up his Board should have the guts to front as well. So he thought everyone wanted a day-trip to Westport? Part or a whole day off work, or away from home for the volunteers (at their own expense). Yes, this sounds like business as usual on the planet these people inhabit. Good point about the Board members, Reefton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Stipe Posted February 4, 2019 Share Posted February 4, 2019 I had a discussion with someone with good contacts to the inner sanctum. I know what I'm about to say isn't some great revelation Reefton but it is worth pondering. The plan is "draft" so it isn't a fait accompli that x and y racecourse will go and z will stay. What is a given is that there will be a push for rationalisation. Now I think it we all agree that there should be some form of rationalisation at some level. So NZTR is hoping that clubs on a regional basis can get together and formulate a plan for their area. Now anyone who is a West Coaster knows that Kumara is a hopeless case when compared to the other courses and for a number of strong reasons shouldn't stay. NZTR is greatly concerned about workplace safety and whether rightly or wrongly believes that most if not all of our courses need capital expenditure to reach a satisfactory legal requirement. That is the the biggest pressure and they consider that there must be some capital expenditure efficiencies through centralisation. So Reefton - is it possible to talk to the other clubs and formulate a regional plan? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 18 minutes ago, Chimbu said: So he thought everyone wanted a day-trip to Westport? Part or a whole day off work, or away from home for the volunteers (at their own expense). Yes, this sounds like business as usual on the planet these people inhabit. Good point about the Board members, Reefton Yes well there aren't exactly household names and faces within those of us down where the muck is raked in this industry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefton Posted February 4, 2019 Author Share Posted February 4, 2019 1 minute ago, Chief Stipe said: I had a discussion with someone with good contacts to the inner sanctum. I know what I'm about to say isn't some great revelation Reefton but it is worth pondering. The plan is "draft" so it isn't a fait accompli that x and y racecourse will go and z will stay. What is a given is that there will be a push for rationalisation. Now I think it we all agree that there should be some form of rationalisation at some level. So NZTR is hoping that clubs on a regional basis can get together and formulate a plan for their area. Now anyone who is a West Coaster knows that Kumara is a hopeless case when compared to the other courses and for a number of strong reasons shouldn't stay. NZTR is greatly concerned about workplace safety and whether rightly or wrongly believes that most if not all of our courses need capital expenditure to reach a satisfactory legal requirement. That is the the biggest pressure and they consider that there must be some capital expenditure efficiencies through centralisation. So Reefton - is it possible to talk to the other clubs and formulate a regional plan? That sounds like what Bernard had to say when he was here in November. Kumara have no concept of cooperation(they just run a - admittedly very successful - piss up) so they would be out. All the rest have very much aging committees who, when faced with a suggestion of amalgamation, will simply say 'aw no if we have to do that we will just drop out'. As I have said before about ten years ago I suggested they should get together and set up a dual code(incl the Trots) venue half way between Greymouth and Hoki - even had the place sorted (and at the time the NZRB had the money for at least an investigation of that sort of thing) but that was essentially the reaction. And in the meantime the Greymouth Trots have disappeared as well. Now with all the shit we have had to put up with since(massive increases in bureaucracy and lack of accountability principally) I have hardened my attitude and in simple terms I say we have the best course(we even have room to expand to a 1600 or 1800m course - might hit Shane Jones up for some regional development dosh) so we are not relocating to a (comparatively) second class venue. If it comes to that they can stick it where the sun doesn't shine. There is no cost to the industry to have Reefton Racecourse and not one person has been able produce any evidence that there is. The failing state of the NZ breeding industry is not the fault of the Reefton Jockey Club. And as I have said before if we go that is it for me. Once these donkeys(Consensus included) are finished I will kick the mud off my boots and won't be back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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