Track closures a key part of strategy to reform ‘over-venued and under-capitalised’ NZ industry

Trentham and Rotorua are among the five New Zealand thoroughbred racecourses earmarked for closure under the recommendations of Project Stamina, which has set down the infrastructure priorities for both codes of racing in the country.

Commissioned by the New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, Harness Racing New Zealand and TAB NZ, Project Stamina’s aim is to modernise an industry whose venue network no longer reflects current horse populations, participant numbers or economic realities.

It comes as pressure grows to combine the administration of both codes, with projections that racing in the country faces massive structural deficits in the coming years, despite the additional investment from the Entain deal struck in 2023.

At the heart of the Project Stamina strategy is a shift away from maintaining a large number of venues towards concentrating investment in fewer, higher-quality racing and training facilities.

The report recommends retaining 39 venues, putting five more through business-case assessments, and removing 19 venues across both codes.

Five current venues are identified for removal from the thoroughbred racing network: Rotorua, Trentham, Gore, Hawera and Oamaru, with the final three to also lose their harness status, as well as Manawatu and Wyndham.

Under the plan, Otaki, Tauherenikau and Wingatui would also stop hosting harness racing but continue to host thoroughbred meetings.

A further dozen non-racing venues would also be closed.

Five venues will undergo a business case assessment, including Te Rapa and the Cambridge Synthetic track, whose future will depend on the Waikato Greenfields project. Alexandra Park harness is also under a business case review along with fellow northern metropolitan harness venue Cambridge.

The closure of Trentham is among the most contentious as it would leave the national capital, Wellington, without a thoroughbred racing track.

Project Stamina found Trentham did not meet the threshold for a provincial venue in the future network, with modelling allocating it only four race days, below the minimum eight-day threshold. However, any closure would be phased to co-ordinate with the return to racing at Awapuni, which is currently slated for late 2027.  

Rotorua only has one scheduled raceday under the project’s model and its closure is contingent on finding a suitable Waikato Greenfields site.

The masterplan found New Zealand racing is “over-venued and under-capitalised”, with resources spread too thinly across too many tracks.

The review argues that concentrating racing activity at better-equipped venues will improve track quality, field sizes, race-day reliability and wagering returns.

In a joint statement, NZTR and HRNZ emphasised that the release of Project Stamina does not amount to immediate venue closures.

Instead, it marks the beginning of an implementation and consultation process that will unfold over several years, and clubs affected by proposed venue changes will be consulted directly, with business cases, local circumstances and stakeholder feedback all helping shape final decisions.

“This is about ensuring New Zealand racing has the infrastructure it needs to thrive for decades to come,” outgoing NZTR Chair Russell Warwick said.

“Project Stamina provides a clear, evidence-based roadmap that puts the long-term interests of the industry first, while keeping the welfare of the horse at the centre of the network.”

“Doing nothing is not an option. Our infrastructure must reflect today’s racing landscape and be capable of supporting future growth. This plan gives us the opportunity to invest where it will deliver the greatest long-term benefit for participants, horses and the wider industry.”

Grant Jarrold, HRNZ Chair, said Project Stamina was a key strategic plan for both codes moving forward.

“This is not simply another review. It provides a unified direction that links strategy, investment and implementation, giving the industry greater certainty about the future,” he said.