NZTR Hypocrisy at its worst: Westland vs Wellington Racing Clubs

[Chief Stipe]

So NZTR effectively closes down the Westland Racing Club by removing its dates.  Them lambasts the Club for giving back to the community the assets that the community largely created.

The Wellington Racing Club sells off assets to a pie in the sky developer.  NZTR doesn't say or do anything.  Surely they'd like to see those funds go to a viable Racing club somewhere else?

[Murray Fish]

I wonder if how the way Westland RC went about their liquidation whether that has slowed down other tracks being euthanised?

[Doomed]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

So NZTR effectively closes down the Westland Racing Club by removing its dates.  Them lambasts the Club for giving back to the community the assets that the community largely created.

The Wellington Racing Club sells off assets to a pie in the sky developer.  NZTR doesn't say or do anything.  Surely they'd like to see those funds go to a viable Racing club somewhere else?

Which viable racing club do you refer to?

[Reefton]

49 minutes ago, Doomed said:

Which viable racing club do you refer to?

Well Reefton would be a good example

[Freda]

2 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

So NZTR effectively closes down the Westland Racing Club by removing its dates.  Them lambasts the Club for giving back to the community the assets that the community largely created.

The Wellington Racing Club sells off assets to a pie in the sky developer.  NZTR doesn't say or do anything.  Surely they'd like to see those funds go to a viable Racing club somewhere else?

I think those funds are supposed to 'future proof' themselves...Wellington RC I mean.

[Reefton]

12 minutes ago, Reefton said:

Well Reefton would be a good example

And a worthy recipient of several millions of dollars from the NZ racing Industry.  At least you would know it wont be pissed up against the wall

[Ludwig]

Is this correct, that there are conflicts of interest between members of the Wellington committee and the developers?? Surely not.😀

[Bloke]

4 hours ago, Chief Stipe said:

So NZTR effectively closes down the Westland Racing Club by removing its dates.  Them lambasts the Club for giving back to the community the assets that the community largely created.

The Wellington Racing Club sells off assets to a pie in the sky developer.  NZTR doesn't say or do anything.  Surely they'd like to see those funds go to a viable Racing club somewhere else?

Malcolm Gillies is not what you would call a "pie in the sky" developer. He is very successful.

He has however, done well out of the Wellington Racing Club/ Race having previously purchased a large block of residential land on a deferred settlement which enabled him to build and sell properties then repay the WRC/Race for the land.

[Special Agent]

There are some top comments on this thread.

Beats me why smaller clubs are smashed despite performing above and beyond yet the conglomerate outfits can spend hand over fist, be non-performers and get continual industry hand outs.

[Mark D]

57 minutes ago, Special Agent said:

There are some top comments on this thread.

Beats me why smaller clubs are smashed despite performing above and beyond yet the conglomerate outfits can spend hand over fist, be non-performers and get continual industry hand outs.

Been the modus operandi for decades - that's why the industry is in such a parlous state

[Doomed]

1 hour ago, Special Agent said:

There are some top comments on this thread.

Beats me why smaller clubs are smashed despite performing above and beyond yet the conglomerate outfits can spend hand over fist, be non-performers and get continual industry hand outs.

You don't seem to understand that some clubs are "Special".

To be fair, I don't know whether the WRC have spent hand over fist for years, if so they don't have much to show for it.

I think the WRC's problem for many years has been that they are just a bit boring with no enthusiasm or excitement about them. They have lost generations of support locally. Most of their feature races have been abandoned or left to run down, and they haven't added anything new except for the Levin Classic, which they stole off Levin in a bizarre swap arrangement.

You just know they will cock up this property development idea. You just hope they don't take down too much industry money or assets with them.

[Reefton]

31 minutes ago, Doomed said:

 

To be fair, I don't know whether the WRC have spent hand over fist for years, if so they don't have much to show for it.

 

Well when they get the dosh from this the first thing to do will be employ some more admin staff in nothing jobs and pay substantial bonuses to those already employed.. Then they will refurb the Presidents room - for nobody to use - at a cost of several million.

Next will be some overseas trips to here there and everywhere for no justifiable reason

Oops time for some more admin staff and bonuses plus a new pie warmer.

Oh bugger its all gone!

 

 

[Doomed]

1 hour ago, Reefton said:

Well when they get the dosh from this the first thing to do will be employ some more admin staff in nothing jobs and pay substantial bonuses to those already employed.. Then they will refurb the Presidents room - for nobody to use - at a cost of several million.

Next will be some overseas trips to here there and everywhere for no justifiable reason

Oops time for some more admin staff and bonuses plus a new pie warmer.

Oh bugger its all gone!

 

 

You are going to feel so silly one day Reefton when you get an email from the WRC saying they would like to come on a fact finding visit to the Coast to learn how better to connect to the public, how to attract people to their meetings, how to attract sponsors, how to prepare a track properly and how to run a race meeting at a profit.

One word of advice though, don't be so overcome with excitement that you automatically say yes when they ask if you would like to run a charity race-meeting on the Coast to help raise funds for the Trentham refurbisment. That largesse didn't work out too good for Nelson and Avondale.

[Doomed]

And you are going to feel even sillier when they offer you an exceedingly generous consultancy fee for your input, because that's the way it's done in the big city.

[Murray Fish]

3 hours ago, Special Agent said:

There are some top comments on this thread.

Beats me why smaller clubs are smashed despite performing above and beyond yet the conglomerate outfits can spend hand over fist, be non-performers and get continual industry hand outs.

 

I think to glean insights into that,  one has to have a understanding a Social Class in NZ, especially since the rise of the TAB.  While/when  the WC were doing well in the  50/60,  racing could just 'click the ticket' and divide the pie up!  With the  economy  slowing down into the '70's,  leading to the mid 80's and the introduction  of the 'neo-liberal' period.  If you were to look at decline in the disposable income of say the bottom 50%  in the last named period then you will find the % of DI has shrunk rather seriously for those deciles.  Of course there have been the reality of other gaming products coming into the market as well.  Those smaller clubs of course  done well while the WC were doing well, as the WC disposable income has declined, so have the smaller clubs.

 

This has brought into play 'racing politics' which has of course played in the hands of the bigger clubs. 

 

Reality suggest that these Clubs will not be giving up their power base!  All that will be coming from them is more and more Propaganda. 

 

I come from a family that hasn't been afraid to have a gamble, but drummed into us was that 'betting on racing is a mugs game'.  That was brought home brutally to me via Ken Lush, (Photopress)  On my first day of working for him, (Boxing Day '83) after the last race he took me inside the Main Tote and made me stand there while the counted up the $$ and put them in rather large boxes.  WOW!   I think that might have been on  a 'take out rate of 18%   It would be interesting to know what the rate taken out now. 

 

Talking family again, over the say last ten years I have ask 100's of young rallies and their friend what do they think about a day at the races, just about to a person they say 'good for a piss up' but the racing side of things is 'ring fenced off from them', much like the 'members stands' etc.. Where to them all the see from their side of the fence is bourgeois elitism. I'm sure with $50 entrance fees to the likes of the Wgtn Cup they will not be flocking back any time soon!

 

Here is current gambling pie, I would like to have a social class break down of which decile brackets the losses come from?

 

[Reefton]

1 hour ago, Doomed said:

And you are going to feel even sillier when they offer you an exceedingly generous consultancy fee for your input, because that's the way it's done in the big city.

now we're talkin!