26-05-2025
Greyhound racing fights NZ ban with High Court review
'We think Mr Peters has been the best Racing Minister this country has had, but we believe on this matter he was poorly advised,' says Rennell.
GRNZ's application to the court says the Cabinet paper produced by the Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) focused on animal welfare but was selective in its use of reports from the Racing Integrity Board (RIB) and included no information from the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC).
For example, an RIB November 2024 report stated that GRNZ met welfare standards, often better than other animal sports or greyhound racing worldwide, but this information was left out of the DIA report and Cabinet paper, says GRNZ.
GRNZ's application says there was a duty, promise and expectation to consult with GRNZ on the decision which never happened, despite a history of constructive engagement on animal welfare.
While GRNZ faces a shutdown by August 2026, Rennell says the application for the Judicial Review is not about buying greyhound racing time or slowing down the closure down of the code.
'If the review is granted we would like the matter handled as quickly as possible and I am sure the Crown would too.'
The application for the judicial review will not have come as a surprise to Mr Peters' office as he spoke about its likelihood in March.
'I have just heard they [GRNZ] are going to take me on, possibly in court. Well, let's see,' Peters said at the time.
His office was waiting to see the full text of the application lodged by GRNZ counsel Chris Finlayson on Monday before commenting, with Mr Peters in Sri Lanka.
