Reports have emerged that a greyhound trainer has relocated a number of dogs to Australia for racing purposes ahead of New Zealand’s planned ban on the industry.
The New Zealand government announced last year that greyhound racing would be phased out to protect the welfare of racing dogs. Despite this, Racing Minister Winston Peters confirmed that he was aware of the relocation, which involved 80 greyhounds being sent to Australia this week.
The minister had previously assured that under new legislation, New Zealand greyhounds would not be re-entered into racing overseas. However, a report by an Australian greyhound racing news outlet contradicted this statement, highlighting the ongoing international transfer of dogs.
In response to the reports, a spokesperson for the minister stated that while there is currently no ban on trainers relocating their operations, moving greyhounds abroad for racing would not be allowed under the government’s future re-homing plan. The minister’s office emphasized that the re-homing program would focus on finding permanent homes for former racing dogs, not relocating them for further racing activities.
The government’s commitment to ending greyhound racing by the end of the 2025/26 season remains intact, with a comprehensive re-homing program being developed alongside amendments to the Racing Industry Act. The advisory committee tasked with overseeing the wind-down of the industry is working with animal welfare groups to safely re-home the approximately 2,900 racing dogs involved.
Animal rights groups have expressed concern over the relocation of the dogs. SAFE chief executive Jessica Chambers described the move as deeply troubling, calling for swift action from the government to prevent similar instances in the future. Chambers also pointed out that since the ban was announced, six race dogs had died, 50 had suffered broken bones, and 244 had incurred injuries requiring recovery periods.
As the ministerial advisory committee continues its work, the government is expected to provide further updates on the re-homing plan in the coming month.