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Criticism
2013: WHK Review

Following concern over the welfare of racing greyhounds, the Greyhound Racing Association initiated an Independent Welfare Review from WHK, released in June 2013. The review found little evidence of issues involving the care of greyhounds during their racing careers, but found issues with population management. The lack of transparency, along with reported levels of euthanasia, led the review team to consider the current situation “not sustainable”.

In 2014, GRNZ conceded that its death and injury toll was too high. Between late 2012 and April 2014, 92 dogs suffered serious injuries on the track and 64 were euthanised. In 2016, a top trainer claimed poor track conditions were putting greyhound lives at risk.

2017: The Hansen Report

In 2017 a second report was commissioned by the New Zealand Racing Board, led by former High Court Judge Rodney Hansen, who made 20 recommendations to further advance the welfare of greyhounds. The report found that 77% of trainers had had a healthy greyhound euthanised and that 1,447 greyhounds were reported as euthanised over the 2013/14 – 2016/17 seasons. The report noted evidence “suggesting the true figure is much higher”, with 1,271 dogs were unaccounted for. Hansen concluded that improvements had been made since 2013 but “have been insufficient to right the structural imbalance.”

In December 2017, New Zealand’s Minister for Racing Hon Winston Peters, said the reports findings were “disturbing and deeply disappointing” and “simply unacceptable”. In December 2018 the New Zealand government considered a second petition from Aaron Cross and 129 others seeking a prohibition on racing. In response, the government requested that the greyhound racing industry continue to implement the Hansen recommendations and invited the NZGRA to update them on their progress.

2021: Robertson Review

In June 2020 GRNZ submitted a final report to Rt Hon Winston Peters, declaring all recommendations successfully implemented, and that they would no longer be reporting progress. In April 2021, New Zealand's Minister for Racing, Hon Sir Bruce Robertson, launched a further independent review, stating that some recommendations were not fully implemented or enforced. The report identified a number of new issues since the 2017 Hansen report, in the areas of: Rehoming, Euthanasia, Database accuracy, Training, breeding and population control, Makeup of the breeding industry, Governance of the industry, and the functionality of the Health and Welfare Committee. The report states that "there can be no doubt" that the Hansen Report was taken seriously by GRNZ and changes to improve animal welfare have occurred, but also that GRNZ has unnecessarily obfuscated information and that after “ten years and a further two reports” ... “the fundamental issues within the industry remain the same”.

In June 2021 researchers at the University of Auckland publish a study report finding many ex-racing greyhounds poorly equipped for rehoming, remaining in kennels for years, or being disposed of when they lose economic value. The report states that “[unwanted] greyhounds pose a problem the industry cannot rehome its way out of”.

In August 2021, a petition to ban commercial greyhound racing in Aotearoa New Zealand, signed by 38,631 people, was presented to the New Zealand parliament.

2021: Greyhound racing industry formally on notice

In September 2021 the government formally puts the racing industry on notice. Hon Sir Bruce Robertson asks the Racing Integrity Board to assess the industry’s progress against specific indicators, and report back before the end of 2022. He states “I want to be clear today – the greyhound racing industry is on notice: either make the improvements needed or risk closure”.

On 4 May 2022, Newshub reported that a trainer dropped 11 greyhounds at a rehoming kennel, with 8 having substantial injuries. The trainer, John McInerney, was New Zealand's largest greyhound trainer, with 191 racing dogs. McInerney denied that any dogs had left his kennels in that condition. On 5 May 2022, Newshub reported that the Racing Industry Board had issued improvement notices to “almost all” the kennels it had visited since its inception, between 200 and 300 notices. On 13 May 2022, a third Newshub report found that Kevin Brady, a director on the board of GRNZ and the Racing Industry Unit, was co-owner of a greyhound that tested positive for methamphetamine. In August 2022, Newstalk ZB reported that Racing Industry Board inspectors had found 15 racing dogs in "squalid" and "inexcusable" conditions.

In October 2022 Camorra Research Ltd delivered an independent review commissioned by the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to analyse the sentiment towards commercial greyhound racing among the New Zealand population. Of their representative sample of New Zealanders, 9% believed that racing greyhounds have a good life, and 74.8% indicated that "given the chance, they would vote in support of a ban on greyhound racing."

2022: Racing Integrity Board Review

In December 2022 the Racing Integrity Board presented its findings to Minister for Racing Kieran McAnulty. The Racing Integrity Board review finds improvement in ten out of fifteen areas, and concludes that progress is mixed and has not always met the RIB's expectations. It found that GRNZ had made significant progress reducing euthanasias, with 325 greyhounds being euthanised in the 2020/21 - 2021/22 seasons. 174 of these were euthanised at a single kennel belonging to 'Trainer X'. This licensed person was spoken with. The Minister requested further information, and a supplementary report was received in March 2023. The supplementary report included options for the closure of the industry.

In October 2023 both leaders of New Zealand's main political parties agreed that greyhound racing should be banned, in the TV1 leader's debate.

In November 2023 trainer John McInerney was disqualified for a year after one of his greyhounds tested positive for meth and another was mistreated. McInerney's dogs had, on previous occasions, tested positive for procaine, heptaminol, codeine, hydroxystanolozol, caffeine and ketoprofen.