Brian Rabbitt, the secretary of the Rangiora Harness Racing Club, is extremely disappointed at the decision of the New Zealand Racing Board to abandon the race meeting scheduled to be held at Rangiora yesterday.
The Racing Board advised the Rangiora Harness Racing Club at 5.50pm on Monday that it was unable to staff the meeting following two major earthquakes in the Christchurch area the same day.
The Racing Board provides staff for the totalisator and filming of the races.
"We had no option but to cancel the meeting," Rabbitt said.
"I am extremely disappointed to say the least."
Rabbitt said that from his side of the operation, he would have found replacement staff if people had not been available.
He is responsible for staff such as starter, judge, time keeper and people to man the gates.
"This is the sixth meeting in Canterbury that these people have lost this season. It is part-time work for some of the people who have lost their full-time jobs through the earthquakes."
He said it was not an option to seek an alternative date for the minor meeting.
The next harness meeting in Canterbury is scheduled for Addington on Friday week.
The two grandstands in use at Addington have been given the all-clear after inspections for structural damage.
"There is a little bit of minor damage in the ceilings," he said.
The New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club is awaiting a decision from the insurance company on the main public stand which has been ruled unusable after damage in the February earthquake.
