The biggest ever review of New Zealand's racing industry has recommend major changes including closing nearly half the country's thoroughbred race tracks, upgrading the rest and building three all-weather tracks.
The review was carried out by Australian racing identity John Messara who says the industry is in crisis and if something isn't done now it'll be a dying industry.
Among Mr Messara'S 17 recommendations is a reduction in thoroughbred race tracks by almost half, from 48 to 28.
He said in his report these closures should be implemented over a scheduled programme, meaning they won't all close at once.
Many of the tracks are dilapidated and that's one of the reasons Mr Messara recommends closing them. They're under-utilised, some only getting used once a year and when they are used many of the crowds are poor.
But he doesn't recommend that clubs have to close because of those tracks closing.
He recommends an upgrade of the 28 tracks remaining, some of which are okay, but the facilities at others need a lot of work.
The report recommends constructing three synthetic tracks - two in the North Island at Awapuni and Cambridge and the third in Christchurch.
This is to guard against abandonment of race meetings after more than 35 were abandoned last season because of the amount of rain throughout the year.
The recommendation Mr Messara says will hopefully bring people back to racing is increasing prize money by about double to $100 million per annum.
It's recommended the TAB commercial activities be outsourced to an international operator to help increase prize money.
The TAB has been a feature of a day at the races since the 1950s, and pulls in over $1 billion a year.
Racing board chair John Allen told TVNZ1's Q+A earlier this year he'd be concerned if we did lose the TAB.
"You have to understand what the implications of those sorts of decisions are because once you go down those paths, of outsourcing or sale, there is no going back," he said.
Also recommended is scrapping the betting levy paid by New Zealand Racing Board to the Government.
Racing Minister Winston Peters has unveiled the report to racing interests at Claudlands Arena in Hamilton this evening.
I NEWS reporter Guy Heveldt says the feeling at the arena is that the report has been long time coming.
Recommendations have been made in the past and while some changes have been made, not enough have been implemented and the industry has been left scrambling," Heveldt said.
"The feeling is all these changes need to happen for there to be any positive impact on the racing industry," he said.
Mr Peters ordered the report to try and save the floundering industry and increase stakes. He pulled in John Messara to carry it out.
Mr Peters today told 1 NEWS the industry is in crisis, "but we can, with their help and cooperation, seriously turn it around to have a dramatic future for racing".
Mr Peters needs to approve the recommendations which will then go the Cabinet, but are expected to be accepted because the review was part of the Labour-New Zealand First confidence and supply agreement.
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