All parties voted for the Racing Industry (Unlawful destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Bill, designed to ensure racing greyhounds are not euthanised as a result of the plan to halt racing by August 2 2026.
A second bill dealing with the winding up of the industry and all remaining aspects of the closure will be introduced next year.
The public may not have much sympathy for the expressions of surprise from some in the greyhound racing industry when the ban on racing was announced by Minister of Racing Winston Peters on Tuesday.
While the specific timing of the ban may not have been indicated in advance, it should not have been hard to join the dots after years of concerns about the welfare of greyhounds in the industry.
This has been a long time coming. As Mr Peters said, introducing the Bill to the House, successive reviews over the last 10 years had reported animal welfare concerns in the industry.
Reviews from 2013, 2017 and 2021 all concluded things needed to change.
Sir Bruce Robertson’s 2021 review put the industry on notice.
Mr Peters said consideration was given to whether stricter regulation could improve greyhound racing to allow it to continue safely.
"However, this was not convincing and showed that injury rates would not improve to a level which could be socially acceptable."
Mr Peters, and other MPs, acknowledged the efforts which had been made to improve dogs’ welfare, particularly regarding deaths, but injuries and serious injuries remained too high.
A sad illustration of the issues involved occurred mere hours after Mr Peters’ announcement signalling the end of the industry. A greyhound racing in Southland was euthanised, after he fell at a bend and suffered a compound leg fracture.
Animal rights campaigners are understandably questioning why the industry should be allowed to continue until 2026 given the likelihood of further deaths and many injuries occurring in that time. Mr Peters noted public support for greyhound racing had declined and New Zealand is one of only five countries where commercial greyhound racing is legal.
There has already been considerable concern about how possibly more than 3000 greyhounds will be able to be rehomed in two years.
One suggestion is that some could be sent to the United States. There is demand from wannabe greyhound pet owners there now racing there is mostly banned, with only two tracks remaining in West Virginia.
As well as rehoming the animals, around 1000 people employed in the industry will need to find work elsewhere, not easy in the current job market.
However difficult, it is the right move and all parties in government deserve credit for their unaccustomed unanimity on this.
Time will tell whether this decision will lead to more pressure coming on politicians over other animal welfare controversies such as live sheep and cattle exports and rodeos.
Cutting to the chase
Minister of Regulation Act New Zealand leader David Seymour will have left many scratching their heads with his plans to give a buzz cut to rules around hairdressing salons.
Much has been made of the fact current rules do not allow hairdressers to serve their clients’ drinks or bring dogs, other than guide dogs, into the salon.
Since it appears hairdressers were unaware of this and had been unwittingly flouting the rules without intervention from law enforcers, what is the big deal?
If there are other unwanted regulations hairdressers are tearing their hair out over because they are costing them money, nobody is saying much about them.
As one hairdresser interviewed by RNZ suggested, the proposed review might be looking for a problem to solve but had provided a great opportunity for puns.
Mr Seymour also got a photo opportunity, pictured having his hair cut.
It looked more like desperate attention-seeking than cutting-edge regulation busting.
