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RNZ News
2 hours ago
- RNZ News
Greyhound Racing NZ offers 25 percent share in a racing greyhound as competition prize
Greyhound NZ is offering part shares in a racing dog as a prize in a competition. File picture. Photo: 123rf A desperate attempt to salvage a dying industry is how one animal welfare group is describing a competition where a racing greyhound is the prize. Greyhound Racing NZ has been offering a 25 percent share in a racing dog as a prize in a competition where entrants have to say why they oppose a ban on the sport . It comes as the government is outlawing greyhound racing at the end of July next year due to animal welfare issues. It said dog deaths and injury rates had remained consistently high. Greyhound Racing NZ has applied for a judicial review of the government decision to outlaw the industry. It has been promoting a competition where people go into a draw to win shares in a greyhound racer and any prize money it collects. GRNZ board member and greyhound trainer Craig Roberts told Checkpoint they had had over 350 entries to the competition. "We're trying to get out to the general public and just see, get some interest from people that don't really know a lot about greyhound racing." While entrants have to say why they oppose a ban on the sport, Roberts said entries were open to anybody. He said he saw no issues with offering up shares of a dog as a prize. "Greyhound racing is very transparent and very open to the public. So of course I think it's a great idea to give a member of the public the opportunity to share the excitement of owning a share in a greyhound." Roberts said the group would not put up with any "anti-greyhound people" who entered the competition, adding that even if the 25 percent share owner asked for the dog to stop racing, that would not be possible. "[They are just] trying to infiltrate just to disrupt our day-to-day operations of being greyhound participants." The dog on offer belongs to Roberts' son, and he said she was doing "exceptionally well', winning three races in a row. Fifteen dogs have died in the most recent racing season, and hundreds of injuries were reported. Roberts said bar the 15 deaths, the other hundreds of dogs had recovered and were living happy lives. "We don't race our greyhounds to purposely get them injured, obviously as people don't drive a car to purposely have a crash." Animal welfare groups SAFE and SPCA have both raised concerns about the competition. SPCA chief scientific officer Dr Arnja Dale told Checkpoint that the SPCA was aware of the competition and had serious concerns about the ethics of offering a racing greyhound as a 'prize'. "Greyhounds are sentient beings, not commodities to be given away in a competition. Greyhound racing is inherently dangerous. "The last racing season has seen 15 dogs [which] have died or been euthanised as a result of injuries sustained on racetracks." The chief executive of animal welfare group SAFE, Debra Ashton, agreed calling the move a desperate approach to salvage a dying industry whose day has come. "Tactics such as offering the chance to own a quarter share in a dog by writing a submission confirm that this industry has always placed a higher value on using dogs as commodities rather than on animal welfare. "Greyhound Racing New Zealand's focus should now be on doing the right thing by the rest of the dogs who are still being used by winding down races and supporting the rehoming of these dogs." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Petroleum law passes, with a last minute twist
File photo. Photo: 123RF The exploration and extraction of petroleum in New Zealand will be more accessible from this week with the government's Crown Minerals Amendment Bill having received a third and final reading in Parliament this afternoon. The Bill (soon to be an Act pending Royal Assent), is the brainchild of Minister for Resources Shane Jones. It removes the 2018 law passed by the Ardern government which limited new petroleum exploration permits to onshore Taranaki. On Tuesday, the Clerk announced the commencement of the third reading of the Crown Minerals Amendment Bill, but rather than beginning that final debate, a last-minute motion from Jones meant the Bill was sent back to the committee stage in what is called a recommittal. Recommittals, although not unprecedented, don't happen all that often, and if they do occur, it's usually when a member's bill is being considered. (Member's Bills without the significant drafting resource possessed by a government are more likely to have oddities that need tidying up.) The process of returning a bill to an earlier stage enables the bill to receive further refinement. This may be necessary for several reasons - perhaps a fault or loophole has been discovered, or the government has had a last-minute change of mind regarding a specific provision. In any case, to make these changes, the bill is sent back to the Committee of the whole House stage, where amendments can be put forward. After reportedly spotting a loophole, Jones had tabled a significant amendment at 5pm on Monday which was then debated less than 24 hours later in Tuesday's recommittal. The change itself related to who pays the cost of decommissioning and cleaning up oil wells once production has ceased. The amendment paper, which was successfully included in the bill, places the power for determining who pays for decommissioning costs in the hands of the Minister for Resources and the Minister of Finance (currently Shane Jones), replacing the model of trailing liability. This is the third policy iteration within the current amendment bill. The Opposition spent most of Tuesday evening drilling into the last-minute switch, trying their best to extract answers from the Minister about why it was decided and who he had consulted with about it. To listen to some of those exchanges, click the link to the audio version of this story at the top of the page. *RNZ's The House, with insights into Parliament, legislation and issues, is made with funding from Parliament's Office of the Clerk. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
3 hours ago
- RNZ News
Government's repeal of 2018 oil and gas exploration ban passes final reading
Climate Minister Simon Watts. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government's repeal of the 2018 oil and gas exploration ban has just passed its final reading in Parliament. The legislation had been set down for Tuesday night, but was delayed after a last-minute amendment to change the rules around liability for the cleanup of decommissioned oil and gas fields. The Climate Minister, Simon Watts, stood in for Resources Minister Shane Jones - saying the ban has pushed power prices up. "The ban sent a chilling message to the investment community, halting the very exploration that underpins our energy security, and leading directly to the supply constraints and price volatility that we see today." Labour's Megan Woods said the repeal of the ban was a "very potent symbol of the shambles that this government is when it comes to energy policy," and that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon "is leading a government that is so far out of touch with ordinary New Zealanders and more intent at doing the bidding of multinational oil and gas companies". The bill passed 68 votes to 54, with all coalition parties in support and the opposition parties opposed. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
