New Zealand 2026 – Racing Industry (Closure of Greyhound Racing Industry) Amendment Act
Law & Regulation
Enacted – Pending Effect
April 1, 2026
Summary
On 1 April 2026, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Racing Industry (Closure of Greyhound Racing Industry) Amendment Bill, enacting legislation that removes the legal basis for commercial greyhound racing in New Zealand from 1 August 2026. The legislation amends the Racing Industry Act 2020 to prohibit commercial greyhound racing nationwide, with the last permitted races scheduled for 31 July 2026 and closure effective from 1 August 2026. A companion instrument, the Racing Industry (Unlawful Destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Bill, passed under urgency in 2024, restricts the killing of racing-registered greyhounds during the wind-down period to euthanasia by a veterinarian for specified reasons. The Primary Production Committee recommended passage of the closure bill in March 2026 following parliamentary consideration. The legislation implements the Cabinet decision of 9 December 2024 to close the industry — documented in a separate Development record. An estimated 2,900 racing greyhounds are subject to the transition and rehoming process. A Transition Agency funded by TAB NZ is established to coordinate the orderly wind-down of Greyhound Racing New Zealand (NZGR) and racing clubs.
Background Context
Commercial greyhound racing in New Zealand operated under the Racing Industry Act 2020 with NZGR as the recognised code body. Official reviews in 2013, 2017, and 2021 identified persistent animal safety and data transparency issues. SPCA New Zealand worked with the industry for several years before concluding that fundamental reform was insufficient and publicly campaigning for a ban. On 9 December 2024, Cabinet made an in-principle decision to close the industry by 31 July 2026 and commissioned the Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC) to advise on closure implementation. The MAC delivered its interim report on 29 May 2025 recommending a Transition Agency structure. On 19 August 2025, Cabinet confirmed its decision to proceed with legislation and accepted MAC recommendations. The Racing Industry (Closure of Greyhound Racing Industry) Amendment Bill was introduced, underwent select committee consideration, and passed Parliament on 1 April 2026. Judicial review proceedings initiated by the New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association Inc (NZHC 2665) challenge the legality of the original Cabinet decision; no court order suspending the legislative process or enacted bill has been documented in available sources as of April 2026.
System Impact
Direction
Reduces Exploitation
Type
Alters Legal Basis
Significance
High
The Racing Industry (Closure of Greyhound Racing Industry) Amendment Bill was passed by Parliament on 1 April 2026, enacting statutory amendments that remove the legal authorisation for commercial greyhound racing under the Racing Industry Act 2020 from 1 August 2026. Commercial greyhound racing continues to operate during the transition period to 31 July 2026. The Racing Industry (Unlawful Destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Bill, enacted in 2024, restricts the killing of racing-registered greyhounds during the wind-down to euthanasia by a veterinarian for specified reasons, limiting depopulation of racing dogs over the 20-month transition. The Transition Agency, funded by TAB NZ, has been established to coordinate the orderly closure of NZGR and racing clubs, manage the transition of approximately 2,900 racing greyhounds into rehoming pathways, and support industry participants. The SPCA publicly confirmed support for the legislation and participated in Parliamentary submissions. The Primary Production Committee recommended passage of the bill in March 2026.
Anticipated Effects
If implemented as enacted, all commercial greyhound racing events in New Zealand will cease after 31 July 2026, with no further commercial meetings permitted under the Racing Industry Act framework from 1 August 2026; the number of dogs used in commercial greyhound racing within the statutory framework will reduce to zero from that date.
If the Transition Agency operates as established, approximately 2,900 racing greyhounds will be redirected into rehoming pathways via animal welfare and rehoming organisations over the wind-down period; the proportion successfully rehomed versus dogs with other outcomes is not established in available sources.
If judicial review proceedings (NZHC 2665) challenging the original Cabinet decision produce a court order affecting the closure timeline or the legislation’s operation, the operative date of 1 August 2026 could be affected; no such order has been documented in available sources as of April 2026.
Significance Rationale
Assigned Reduces Exploitation (impact direction) because the legislation removes the legal basis for commercial greyhound racing in New Zealand from 1 August 2026, eliminating the exploitation system for dogs within the commercial NZGR framework. If implemented as enacted, the cessation of all commercial race meetings from 1 August 2026 reduces the number of dogs used in commercial greyhound racing in New Zealand to zero within the statutory framework. Approximately 2,900 racing greyhounds are subject to transition and rehoming arrangements.
Assigned Alters Legal Basis (impact type) because the primary mechanism is the statutory removal of greyhound racing as a recognised racing code under the Racing Industry Act 2020 — the legislation directly changes what is legally permissible by eliminating the authorisation for commercial greyhound racing nationwide. The companion instrument restricting the destruction of racing-registered greyhounds during wind-down also directly alters the legal basis for greyhound management during the transition period.
Assigned High significance because the legislation eliminates the entire commercial greyhound racing system in New Zealand — all licensed tracks, all racing under the NZGR framework, and the exploitation of approximately 2,900 racing greyhounds within the statutory commercial system. This constitutes complete elimination of a defined exploitation system within its jurisdiction, assessed relative to the commercial greyhound racing system directly affected.
The scale change is structural within its scope: commercial greyhound racing in New Zealand is eliminated as of 1 August 2026 under this enacted legislation, pending the outcome of judicial review proceedings (NZHC 2665) and full implementation. The greyhound breeding sector outside the commercial racing framework continues and is not regulated by this instrument.
Key Actors
The Parliament of New Zealand passed the Racing Industry (Closure of Greyhound Racing Industry) Amendment Bill on 1 April 2026; the legislation was sponsored by Minister for Racing Rt Hon Winston Peters. The Department of Internal Affairs administered the policy process and Racing Industry Act framework. Cabinet confirmed the closure decision and legislation in August 2025. Greyhound Racing New Zealand (NZGR) is the directly affected code body subject to wind-down. The Transition Agency funded by TAB NZ coordinates the operational closure. SPCA New Zealand provided submissions to Parliament and publicly supported the legislation. The Primary Production Committee recommended passage in March 2026. The New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association Inc initiated judicial review proceedings (NZHC 2665) challenging the originating Cabinet decision.
Editorial Correction Notice
Affected practices: No Practices CPT records are assigned. The legislation eliminates the commercial greyhound racing system rather than directly regulating specific practices within it. Background practices of commercial greyhound racing — Conditioning & Training, Selective Breeding, Intensive Confinement, Live Transport, Slaughter — cease as a consequence of the system’s elimination rather than being directly regulated by this statute. This follows the same convention as the Germany 2019 mink farm closure, Germany TierErzHaVerbG amendment, and NZ 2024 Cabinet decision records.
Impact significance: Perplexity assessed this record as Moderate on the basis that “the greyhound-breeding sector as a whole continues outside the racing-specific framework.” High is assigned because SE assesses significance relative to the commercial greyhound racing system directly affected by the legislation, not relative to adjacent systems. The commercial greyhound racing system is entirely eliminated within its statutory scope; this constitutes a system-level effect warranting High significance.
Current status — judicial review: The New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association Inc initiated judicial review proceedings (NZHC 2665) challenging the legality of the original Cabinet decision of 9 December 2024. The substantive hearing was set for December 2025. No court order suspending the legislative process or the enacted bill has been documented in available sources as of April 2026.
Scale & Prevalence: The estimate of approximately 2,900 racing greyhounds is an official government figure cited in ministerial statements rather than an independently audited count. The Racing Industry (Unlawful Destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Bill enacted in 2024 is referenced as a companion instrument but is not the primary development documented in this record.
Related records: The 9 December 2024 Cabinet in-principle decision to close the industry is documented in a separate Development record (New Zealand 2024 – Cabinet decision to close commercial greyhound racing industry). The two records together constitute the NZ greyhound racing closure sequence: the originating Government Policy and the enacting Law & Regulation.
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