Wairarapa Labour MP Kieran McAnulty has been sworn in as a Minister outside of Cabinet, picking up the portfolios of Racing, and Emergency Management.
“For me it means a lot, you know, I was first involved in the racing industry as a teenager at the Masterton Greyhound track,” McAnulty said.
He and his fiancée recently adopted a retired racing greyhound which they named Zoi after the New Zealand Olympic snowboarder, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.
“She’s only a couple of years old, she’s quite small for a greyhound, but she did have a crack at racing, and we wanted to take her on,” McAnulty said.
Last year, Greyhound Racing New Zealand’s annual report stated that 900 Greyhounds were injured.
“Any sport that involves animals must live up to the highest standards of animal welfare, and if an industry can’t meet those standards, then they’re at risk of losing their social license,” he said.
McAnulty, who used to be a volunteer firefighter, also picks up the Emergency Management portfolio, previously held by Kiritapu Allan.
“For me, personally, to have Emergency Management and Racing, are two portfolios I’m really excited about,” he said.
Kieran also picks up the role of Associate Minister for Local Government, with a focus on the rural community.
Last year, he swapped his famous diesel ute for a new hybrid electric station wagon to help encourage the rural community to tackle climate change.
But, for now, he has a message to hopeful dog owners.
“If anybody out there is thinking of getting a dog, you cannot go past a greyhound, just look how chill they are, I highly recommend it,” McAnulty said.
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