On The Up: Taupō couple race Siberian huskies, share passion for sled dogs
The Coxheads decided they had to learn to manage him as they had a responsibility towards him.
'We joined the Northern Alaskan Malamute Club and went to a working weekend in the forest,' Steve said.
During that weekend, Kaz was introduced to the world of dryland running dog racing.
Taniya said he loved it.
They raced him through the winter season of 1996.
'This breed is a working dog and needs to run and have a purpose.'
The world of husky racing
Taniya Coxhead with two of her Siberian huskies. Photo / Catherine Fry
Steve wanted to take the racing further.
'I told Taniya that I would love to get a racing team together using Siberian huskies, as Malamutes are big and feisty.
'The Siberian huskies are smaller and are very good pack dogs, with fewer power struggles.'
While waiting for their first huskies, the couple prepared to have their own pack.
'We needed harnesses and equipment, including chariots, or rigs as they are known.
'We built our own using parts from all sorts of things and were able to race from 1998 onwards.'
They initially raced their first husky, Malinka, as a single dog, then borrowed a dog to race a two-dog rig.
In 2002, they ran a four-dog rig.
'Dryland running is with one dog to eight dogs.
'In New Zealand, the majority of races are run on forest trails using wheeled rigs or scooters.'
Steve and Taniya are in training for the annual Sled Dog Festival held at the Wairau Snow Farm in Cardrona Valley from September 2 to 6.
This location is the only venue where dogs can be run on snow in New Zealand, as the rest of the snow areas are National Parks and dogs are banned.
Steve said racing their huskies on snow was the ultimate experience and exactly what they are bred to do.
'While snow isn't a necessity, huskies just love the cold.'
Taniya's father, Gary, hand-crafted a wooden sled for the couple's Timberline pack to race on snow.
Breeding their own huskies
Pack members howling with excitement before they are exercised. Photo / Catherine Fry
Over several years, the Coxheads bought 10 pups from the now-retired Ray and Dianne Holliday's Cheechako Kennels.
These huskies were from two breeding lines: Northome Kennels from Duluth, Minnesota, and Alaskan Kennels, Anadyr Siberians.
Cheechako Arky's Topaz, or Timber as he was known, was a 'great all-round dog'.
'In 2010, we looked at business options near the Snow Farm but decided that the snow season wasn't long enough and we needed a more sustainable business model that would work year-round.
'[From there] Timberline Racing Siberian Huskies Kennel and Tours was born.'
As the Coxheads were coming to Taupō from Tauranga around 20 times a year, they decided the Central Plateau was the place for their new business to be based and found their current Broadlands property in 2016.
It's near the Kaingaroa Forest where they can dryland train their dogs.
Taniya and Steve Coxhead. Photo / Catherine Fry
Steve was a builder and Taniya is a data administrator.
They wanted their tour business to show visitors what the dogs can do and educate them about the breed's needs and traits.
'We bought a 10-acre bare block and I built all the kennels and runs, the shed, our house and outbuildings,' Steve said.
They built an 800m fully fenced track enabling the huskies to be exercised daily.
On cold days, they can run further, but on hot days, huskies can overheat easily.
'They get very excited when they realise they're getting a run,' Steve said.
'They howl in true husky style until we set off.
'I run them in front of my quadbike and while it looks like they are pulling me, I'm actually letting them run at their speed and I keep up with them.'
Using frozen semen from Timber and AI, the Coxheads bred five puppies with River over two litters in 2019/20 and another litter of six from a natural mating with Shawnee and Tor in 2022.
'These puppies are solely for us to keep our racing pack going,' Taniya said.
'When they can no longer race, we retire them and keep them until they pass away – they have a home for life with us.'
Timberline use the K9 Petfoods raw meat diet to meet their dogs' nutritional needs, together with a frozen high-performance food.
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NZ Herald
19-07-2025
- NZ Herald
On The Up: Taupō couple race Siberian huskies, share passion for sled dogs
'We had previous large dog experience, but he was untrainable, restless and wouldn't listen.' The Coxheads decided they had to learn to manage him as they had a responsibility towards him. 'We joined the Northern Alaskan Malamute Club and went to a working weekend in the forest,' Steve said. During that weekend, Kaz was introduced to the world of dryland running dog racing. Taniya said he loved it. They raced him through the winter season of 1996. 'This breed is a working dog and needs to run and have a purpose.' The world of husky racing Taniya Coxhead with two of her Siberian huskies. Photo / Catherine Fry Steve wanted to take the racing further. 'I told Taniya that I would love to get a racing team together using Siberian huskies, as Malamutes are big and feisty. 'The Siberian huskies are smaller and are very good pack dogs, with fewer power struggles.' While waiting for their first huskies, the couple prepared to have their own pack. 'We needed harnesses and equipment, including chariots, or rigs as they are known. 'We built our own using parts from all sorts of things and were able to race from 1998 onwards.' They initially raced their first husky, Malinka, as a single dog, then borrowed a dog to race a two-dog rig. In 2002, they ran a four-dog rig. 'Dryland running is with one dog to eight dogs. 'In New Zealand, the majority of races are run on forest trails using wheeled rigs or scooters.' Steve and Taniya are in training for the annual Sled Dog Festival held at the Wairau Snow Farm in Cardrona Valley from September 2 to 6. This location is the only venue where dogs can be run on snow in New Zealand, as the rest of the snow areas are National Parks and dogs are banned. Steve said racing their huskies on snow was the ultimate experience and exactly what they are bred to do. 'While snow isn't a necessity, huskies just love the cold.' Taniya's father, Gary, hand-crafted a wooden sled for the couple's Timberline pack to race on snow. Breeding their own huskies Pack members howling with excitement before they are exercised. Photo / Catherine Fry Over several years, the Coxheads bought 10 pups from the now-retired Ray and Dianne Holliday's Cheechako Kennels. These huskies were from two breeding lines: Northome Kennels from Duluth, Minnesota, and Alaskan Kennels, Anadyr Siberians. Cheechako Arky's Topaz, or Timber as he was known, was a 'great all-round dog'. 'In 2010, we looked at business options near the Snow Farm but decided that the snow season wasn't long enough and we needed a more sustainable business model that would work year-round. '[From there] Timberline Racing Siberian Huskies Kennel and Tours was born.' As the Coxheads were coming to Taupō from Tauranga around 20 times a year, they decided the Central Plateau was the place for their new business to be based and found their current Broadlands property in 2016. It's near the Kaingaroa Forest where they can dryland train their dogs. Taniya and Steve Coxhead. Photo / Catherine Fry Steve was a builder and Taniya is a data administrator. They wanted their tour business to show visitors what the dogs can do and educate them about the breed's needs and traits. 'We bought a 10-acre bare block and I built all the kennels and runs, the shed, our house and outbuildings,' Steve said. They built an 800m fully fenced track enabling the huskies to be exercised daily. On cold days, they can run further, but on hot days, huskies can overheat easily. 'They get very excited when they realise they're getting a run,' Steve said. 'They howl in true husky style until we set off. 'I run them in front of my quadbike and while it looks like they are pulling me, I'm actually letting them run at their speed and I keep up with them.' Using frozen semen from Timber and AI, the Coxheads bred five puppies with River over two litters in 2019/20 and another litter of six from a natural mating with Shawnee and Tor in 2022. 'These puppies are solely for us to keep our racing pack going,' Taniya said. 'When they can no longer race, we retire them and keep them until they pass away – they have a home for life with us.' Timberline use the K9 Petfoods raw meat diet to meet their dogs' nutritional needs, together with a frozen high-performance food.
RNZ News
17-07-2025
- RNZ News
Court rejects athlete union's bid to appeal employment ruling
Photo: © Steve McArthur / @RowingCelebration A year's-long battle over whether a group of elite athletes can collectively bargain has ended, after the Court of Appeal rejected an appeal bid from a union representing the country's top rowers and cyclists. The Athletes' Cooperative (TAC), spearheaded by double Olympic rowing champion Mahe Drysdale, was seeking to overturn a decision of the Employment Court in December last year over TAC's three-year dispute with High Performance Sport NZ. The Employment Court ruled that High Performance Sport NZ was not required to enter into collective bargaining with the union, as the two parties were not in an employment relationship. Leave to appeal a decision can only be granted in cases where the court is satisfied that the proposed appeal is of "general of public importance" and is "capable of being seriously argued". In a judgement released on Thursday, the Court of Appeal found TAC's case did not meet that threshold. "We are satisfied that the Employment Court's interpretation ... was correct and that the proposed questions of law are not capable of being seriously argued," the judgement, prepared by Justice David Collins read. "It would be inconsistent with the statutory context for there to be no requirement that the persons who are to benefit from a collective agreement be employees of the relevant employer or for there to be no employment relationship between the union and the employer." Former NZ Rugby boss Steve Tew is the director of high performance at the government sport agency. Photo: Andrew Cornaga / High Performance Sport NZ's director of high performance Steve Tew said his agency welcomed the court's decision. "This has been a long process that has taken several years to resolve. We now look forward to moving on and ensuring we are supporting National Sports Organisations to create high performance environments where athletes not only thrive but are also heard and involved in decisions that impact them and help them to be the best they can be," Tew said in a statement. "HPSNZ remains available to liaise with TAC, and any other organisation representing athletes in the high performance environment, to consider any issues that they are unable to be dealt with in their direct relationship with their NSO. "Athlete well-being is a priority for our NSO partners and HPSNZ and we are working hard to demonstrate that through our strategy, system change initiatives, and day-to-day mahi." A spokesperson for TAC could not be immediately reached for comment. The highly political battle stems from mid-2022, when athletes from the country's two most successful Olympic sports formed a union and issued a notice to High Performance Sport NZ that it wished to initiate collective bargaining. Among the co-operative's goals is to push for a system where "our remuneration matches the expectation of our roles and responsibilities, and we have genuine financial stability"; "the well-being and identity of all people are paramount"; and a "strong and respectful staff-athlete performance culture exists, founded on mutual respect, equality and trust". The move came in the wake of a damning review into the culture of New Zealand's elite sporting environments following the suspected suicide of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore in August 2021 . That review, headed by former solicitor general Mike Heron KC and leading academic Sarah Leberman, raised concerns about the "chilling effects" of the power imbalance between athletes and sports leaders, noting that current athlete agreements imposed far more onerous demands on the athletes than they did on the government agency and national sporting bodies. The review panel recommended that High Performance Sport NZ consult with athletes on the contractor versus employees model "in recognition of the fact they are under [Cycling NZ's] effective control and train/compete at [Cycling NZ's] direction". Double Olympic gold medallist Mahe Drysdale is co-chair of The Athletes' Co-operative. Photo: © NZ ROWING 2018 The report also recommended that an independent athlete representative body be established, which proved the impetus for Drysdale and several high profile cyclists and rowers to form TAC. But the government agency rebuffed attempts by the group to initiate collective bargaining, arguing it did not directly employ athletes - leading to the athlete union lodging a claim with the Employment Relations Authority (ERA). The ERA found in favour of the athletes , determining that High Performance Sport NZ was obligated to engage in good faith collective bargaining. The government agency then appealed that decision to the Employment Court, which overturned the ERA's decision in December last year. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
07-07-2025
- RNZ News
All Whites striker stays at Auckland FC in world cup year
Auckland FC's Logan Rogerson celebrates his goal. Photo: Shane Wenzlick / Logan Rogerson has extended his contract with Auckland FC for another two seasons. The Hamilton-born striker had a memorable 2024/25 season which included scoring the club's first A-League hat-trick when he netted three times against the Wellington Phoenix . He scored in the club's first-ever game against the Brisbane Roar, as well as in both draws against Adelaide United. In all, Rogerson scored nine goals in Auckland's debut season, playing 28 games and registering two assists. Ahead of a pivotal Football World Cup year, 27-year-old Rogerson has decided that Auckland FC remains the best place to further develop his career and push for an All Whites spot. "I'm loving being back in New Zealand, loving this team, the fans, and what we have created. I'm settled here, happy here and can't wait to go again," Rogerson said. "Things have really worked out. Steve, Terry, and the coaches have a real vision for what we can achieve as a club and although we didn't go all the way last season, that defeat will ensure we push even harder this season." Rogerson, who has spent time in Europe playing in Finland Germany and Armenia, started his career as a youth player with Hamilton Wanderers. He has also represented New Zealand at age-group and senior international level and has one eye on making the All Whites squad that will play in next year's world cup . "Playing in a World Cup is obviously a big ambition of mine, playing regularly with Auckland FC gives me the best chance of fulfilling that ambition." Auckland FC director of football, Terry McFlynn signed Rogerson to the club almost exactly a year ago. "Steve Corica and I were big admirers of Logan. He fit the profile of the sort of player we were after, but also had just the right attitude and temperament. He's got no ego, just wants to play football and wants to win," McFlynn said. "He was a big part of our success last season, a big favourite with the fans, and we're delighted to have him locked in for another two years." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
