The New Zealand government has announced plans to end greyhound racing nationwide due to ongoing animal welfare concerns.
In a statement, Racing Minister Winston Peters said that although the greyhound racing industry had worked hard to make progress around animal welfare in recent years, the sheer number of animals continuing to suffer injuries had forced the government’s hand.
“This is not a decision that is taken lightly but is ultimately driven by protecting the welfare of racing dogs,” he said. “Despite significant progress made by the greyhound racing industry in recent years, the percentage of dogs being injured remains persistently high and the time has come to make a call in the best interest of the animals.”
Peters noted that previous governments had held multiple inquiries into the greyhound racing industry – all recommending significant change – but while “fewer dogs are dying, injury rates, while down slightly, have plateaued and remain unacceptably high.”
Greyhound racing will now be wound down over the next 20 months, providing sufficient time to enable the rehoming of racing dogs and to provide a transition period for people involved in the industry.
“Beginning the process today we are introducing the Racing Industry (Unlawful Destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Bill which will be passed under urgency to prevent the unnecessary killing of racing dogs,” Peter said.
“Further legislation to enable the end to greyhound racing is required. A bill to make the necessary changes to the Racing Industry Act 2020 will be introduced to Parliament in 2025. There will be a full select committee process so everyone will have a chance to have their say.
“A key task will be the rehoming of the estimated 2,900 racing greyhounds in New Zealand. An Advisory Committee has been appointed to help manage the transition process.
“Keeping unwanted dogs safe is a priority. The Government is working with animal welfare organizations to establish programmes to support rehoming.”
The looming ban on greyhound racing in New Zealand comes with Australia continuing to look into its own racing industry. In July, the NSW state government announced an inquiry into Greyhound Racing NSW (GRNSW) to examine complaints about governance and operations, track safety and animal welfare issues.
Previous inquiries across Australia have unveiled numerous examples of animal cruelty but governments have so far avoided banning the industry entirely.
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