Racing needs more racetracks.

[The Centaur]

All these reports currently being dissected are seriously flawed.

Firstly their assumption is that racing is tied to a venue. It is not. No venue can exist if it relies soley on proceeds from racing. However racing can add value and add stability to businesses and community activities at the venues. There are many racetracks that could race just three times per year thus guaranteeing a fresh surface for racing. Also with new developments and technology the costs of maintaining the tracks can be kept to a minimum. Add in voluntary labour as well. That has to be factored in.

Lets look at Avondale. Apartments are springing up all around Avondale racecourse. That means a storage business becomes viable. Add in the markets and you have vendors and buyers wanting self storage facilities. No question Avondale racecourse can be a business hub.

Therefore if a racecourse can be self sufficient why deprive it of a few days of racing. It all boils down to innovation and smart thinking. Every racetrack will have different circumstances. Its up to the racing authorities to make racing viable. The tracks can be viable separate to racing. So lets forget about this absurd need to close down racetracks based on totally unrelated reasons.

Edited August 3 by The Centaur

[The Centaur]

AI......Which NZ horse racing tracks are owned freehold ??

 

 

More than half of all New Zealand horse racing tracks are built on valuable freehold land completely owned by their respective local racing clubs. 

 

This freehold status has triggered massive political and legal debates over recent years, primarily because sweeping industry restructuring proposals (such as the independent Project Stamina report and the earlier Messara Report) have continuously targeted these specific tracks for closure. The industry's overarching strategy has been to look at ways to consolidate the sport, forcibly transfer these freehold titles to governing bodies like New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), and sell off the land to fund a $190 million–$200 million upgrade of a smaller, centralized network of tracks. 

 

Because council-owned, reserve, or leased tracks cannot be easily sold off by the codes, freehold country tracks have frequently found themselves on the "chopping block". 

Notable Freehold Racecourses in New Zealand

While a massive chunk of country tracks fall under this category, several prominent tracks have made national headlines explicitly because of their freehold status:

• Avondale Racecourse (Auckland): Owned freehold by the Avondale Jockey Club. Located in West Auckland, its intensely valuable land has been valued between $100 million and $200 million, making it the premier target for closure and redevelopment to bankroll the rest of the industry.
• Ellerslie Racecourse (Auckland): Owned privately on a freehold basis by Auckland Thoroughbred Racing (formerly the Auckland Racing Club). The club has historically capitalised on this by selling off peripheral border sections of its freehold land for luxury residential developments to financially secure its core racing operations.
• Alexandra Park (Auckland): The iconic harness racing venue is owned freehold by the Auckland Trotting Club, with strict constitutional protections requiring member approval before any freehold land can be sold or mortgaged.
• Trentham Racecourse (Wellington): Wellington’s premier racing facility features freehold parcels that have historically faced partial sell-offs by regional club amalgamations, and the track is actively fighting proposed closures under modern masterplans.
• Gore Racecourse (Southland): Situated on 50 to 53 hectares of entirely freehold land owned by the Gore Racing Club. It acts as a massive community hub and a core training asset for Southern Harness and thoroughbred racing.
• Waterlea Racecourse (Blenheim): A unique layout where the freehold property is shared equally between Marlborough's local gallop (thoroughbred) and harness clubs.
• Manawatū Harness Track / Awapuni (Palmerston North): The harness club explicitly owns its facility freehold (renting space to other codes like greyhounds). It has been a primary point of friction against recent closure proposals.
• Woodville Racecourse (Manawatū-Whanganui): Owned freehold by the Woodville-Pahiatua Racing Club. It was famously spared from immediate closure due to its incredibly resilient, non-irrigated natural soil type.
• Stratford Racecourse & Te Kapua (Taranaki): Owned freehold by the Stratford Racing Club. The club vehemently opposed restructuring laws on the grounds that they would be forced to sell their freehold home to move to a council-leased track in New Plymouth.
• Egmont / Hāwera Racecourse (Taranaki): Owned completely freehold by the Egmont Racing Club, meaning it costs the local community virtually nothing to run meetings there compared to tracks burdened by heavy leases. 

How to Tell the Difference

When looking at New Zealand tracks, they generally fall into three distinct ownership categories:

1. Club-Owned Freehold: Private land owned by the historic racing clubs (e.g., Avondale, Gore, Stratford). 

•  
• Public Reserves & Trusts: Land held by local councils or public trusts that cannot legally be sold for commercial profit (e.g., Foxton Racecourse, which is a designated reserve). 
•  
• Council Leases: Tracks situated on public land where the club merely pays a long-term lease to the local district council (e.g., Taupō Racecourse, leased from the Taupō District Council). 

[The Centaur]

Interesting goings on in UK.

Jockey Club versus Racing Association.  

https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/39948195/racing-bombshell-jockey-club-leaves-racecourse-association/

Nowhere do I see the governing bodies in UK wanting to sell racecourses to fund other tracks. The Jockey Club wants reforms like restructuring dates, It would be unthinkable for a country track to sell up to fund Ascot.

Selling tracks is the easy out just like the illogical 25 year deal given to ENTAIN.

 

[Shad]

Victoria Park Greymouth ceased racing many years ago, now a barron desolate eye sore, worth ???? privately owned I think, can’t quite recall.

[The Centaur]

1 hour ago, Shad said:

Victoria Park Greymouth ceased racing many years ago, now a barron desolate eye sore, worth ???? privately owned I think, can’t quite recall.

Closed 2009 due to increased rental charged by Mawhera Incorporation.

Formerly hub for all sorts of sporting activities for over a century e.g. Rugby, cycling, community affairs, parades, exhibitions etc.  Floods were a problem.

Now the point is that having the trotting club there enabled all the other activities to coexist.

So closing racing activities can impact negatively on community activity.

[Shad]

6 hours ago, The Centaur said:

Closed 2009 due to increased rental charged by Mawhera Incorporation.

Formerly hub for all sorts of sporting activities for over a century e.g. Rugby, cycling, community affairs, parades, exhibitions etc.  Floods were a problem.

Now the point is that having the trotting club there enabled all the other activities to coexist.

So closing racing activities can impact negatively on community activity.

How very true, couldn’t quite understand the increase in rental, when the club was struggling as it stood,now no one wins, no rates no racing, an a defunct barron eye sore, was surprised they never moved to the grass track at Omoto, had the odd harness race there before, when gallop fields were light, instead ceased racing gave extra day in March to Westport and Reefton clubs, bit of a curve ball given both clubs possibly struggle to break even, given their bumper Xmas dates the key to success and their future.

[Chief Stipe]

20 hours ago, The Centaur said:

Closed 2009 due to increased rental charged by Mawhera Incorporation.

Formerly hub for all sorts of sporting activities for over a century e.g. Rugby, cycling, community affairs, parades, exhibitions etc.  Floods were a problem.

Now the point is that having the trotting club there enabled all the other activities to coexist.

So closing racing activities can impact negatively on community activity.

The biggest problem with Greymouth where Victoria Park was situated is mentioned in your first sentence.

One only has to look at the wider Greymouth CBD to see the commonality between its state and Victoria Park.

[The Centaur]

Maybe someone with more knowledge can fill me in.

A few years ago I suggested that electric car racing could exist the same day as horse racing primarily at Pukekohe. Reason being electric doesn't make noise. However Pukekohe closed the motor racing circuit. There could still be  novelty events at various tracks particularly during holidays for various forms of electric transport e.g. scooters with participation from all ages.

 

[The Centaur]

Just to summarize.

1. Racing can't rely on wagering income.

2. Racing needs tracks to make a profit.

3. The more tracks making profit the more stakemoney.

4. Tracks make a profit by promoting businesses and entertaining business staff and clientele.

5. Tracks have various other ways of making profit which should be supported where possible by racing.