The proposed ban on greyhound racing by the New Zealand Government is causing significant distress among participants

The New Zealand greyhound racing industry is rallying in the face of incredible adversity after the Government announced plans to shut the code in 2026.

The devastation of the proposed ban on NZ greyhound racing will be far reaching

THEY are the faces behind the names of the utter devastation caused by the New Zealand Government’s plans to end greyhound racing in 2026.

Since Racing Minister Winston Peters handed down the crippling news in December, stakeholders from all parts of the industry have been left reeling, hurting … searching for answers in the face of incredible adversity.

Left in shock and with growing despair that the very public officials they entrust to protect and foster their futures have - with a stroke of a pen - left them in ruin.

Their futures shattered.

The plight of New Zealand greyhound racing has been a topic of discussion in recent years as the industry moved to reinvent itself in a bid to meet community expectations and come out the other side.

The Stop The Ban shirts being worn at NZ greyhound tracks

And it was rapidly ticking those boxes, introducing any number of initiatives to better itself for the future.

Initiatives that could be tested and substantiated … not words, but in fact actions with independent reports to support it.

But there has been perhaps no better exhibition of that willingness and resolve than since that fateful announcement by Minister Peters on the eve of Christmas.

Faced with the agonising news of the sport’s imminent demise, driving a stake through their dreams and ambitions for the future, the industry has galvanised like never before in a bid to have the decision overturned.

Day in and day out, owners and trainers have continued to front up in the face of enormous uncertainty, living in hope that at some juncture the country’s political forces will see some sense of reason and work with the industry, not against it.

In the last week, Racenet has canvassed those at the coal face of the devastation to best articulate what rank and file NZ participants are enduring daily.

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Originally published as The proposed ban on greyhound racing by the New Zealand Government is causing significant distress among participants