7 Tracks
Greyhound racing in New Zealand is governed by the New Zealand Racing Board, a government body formed in 2003 under the Racing Act. The Racing Board reports to the New Zealand Minister of Racing. The New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association, also known as Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ), is the organization that represents the greyhound racing industry and organizes its activities. GRNZ is one of the three racing codes that the New Zealand Racing Board oversees, in addition to the harness and thoroughbred racing organizations.
Caged greyhounds in New Zealand. (GREY2K USA Worldwide)
Greyhounds were killed and buried in this mass grave in New Zealand. (Lynn Charlton)
Protesters against greyhound racing in New-Zealand. (Newshub)
GRNZ currently consists of 11 greyhound racing member clubs. In the 2012-2013 racing season, over 5,200 races were run by the clubs in New Zealand.1 The greyhounds racing in New Zealand are both bred in-country and imported from Australia. There are nine breeding kennels in New Zealand listed on greyhound-data.com, an online database maintained by dog racing gamblers.2 According to a 2011 news article, GRNZ reported that between 600 to 700 greyhounds are imported from Australia annually.3
GRNZ has Rules of Racing that include regulations for its member clubs, registration and breeding requirements and greyhound drug testing procedures.4
Wagering on greyhound races is legal in New Zealand. Bets can be placed at the track and through off-site betting outlets. New Zealand races are currently broadcast to Australia and GRNZ has plans to expand its simulcast market to include other countries.5 Of particular focus is the Asian market, and the GRNZ offers a Mandarin Chinese language betting guide on its website.6
TAKE ACTION
Help save greyhounds
Ways to Help Dogs in New Zealand
Stay up to date and learn how you can help.