July 28, 2026 • 9 mins
It was revealed today that up to 7 racetracks across the country could be closed in a plan to restructure NZ horse racing's tracks and infrastructure.
This includes the iconic Trentham racecourse.
Matt Ballesty is the CEO of New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing and he joined D'Arcy to discuss.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk Z'B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
But today it was revealed that up to seven race
tracks right across the Mattu could be closed in a
plan to restructure New Zealand horse racing tracks the infrastructure
full stop. One of those tracks that are possibly up
for the Spanish archer the Elbow Trent them. Wow, that's
a legend of that place. Matt Ballaca joins us now
(00:34):
he's the CEO of just On Thoroughbred Racing. We talk
about all of this and more.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Good evening, Matt, good evening. Thank you for your time tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
And thanks very much for joining us. Can we just
go paint by numbers through what's going on at the moment,
because there are some huge changes afoot for the racing industry,
not just thoroughbreed harness racing as well. It's called Project Stamina.
So can you tell us what exactly this means, what
it entails, what it might result in.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah, when I came into the chair probably about sixteen
months ago, there was a real absence of a single
master plan across the whole country. There had been one
done which was really more a report and findings the
Masara Report in twenty eighteen, and so there was a
lot that enabled the industry to do, but there's still
(01:23):
so much more that needed to happen. So well, the
message we got also from you know, from higher up,
was that you know, we need to start working closer together,
the two codes, instead of often in competition or in opposition,
work together to see where we can find better efficiencies
to run the businesses, you know, for a more sustainable outlook.
So Stamina actually is the name of the horse that
(01:46):
the Mongolians gave to Minister Peters, so it's not really
known and I sort of picked that name as a
subtle nod to the Minister that we get the message
that we do need to be working together and by
all means one need stamina to you know, to get
through this over the next few years.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Stamen is not something that happens tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
It's a consolidated report on infrastructure co jointly with Harness
and Thoroughbread, but very separate as well, and you know,
it puts us in a position to look at data
driven decisions as well as layering over some of those
nuances that racing codes have to put some stakes in
(02:27):
the ground. I guess to say this is where we're
going as of today doesn't mean it's not going to
change as things evolve in time. However, you know, one
of the things I've heard traveling around the country is
we just want to know, you know, are we in
and we out?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Are we investing here or we not?
Speaker 4 (02:42):
And as you can imagine these these tracks, they're big canvasses,
and you know we'rom a square meterridge perspective. I mean,
everything costs lots of lots of money, so we just
don't have enough to go around, and we need to
be smarter, and we need to see where clubs can
work with other clubs in their region to consolidate, to
regionalize and to still be strong clubs. But maybe we
(03:06):
don't have as many venues.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So in innocence, you're saying the industry, I won't say
it's it's hemorrhaging, but you can't.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Afford to do what it keeps doing.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
And you've got the opportunity to generate some funds with
these huge tracts of land you have right across the country.
So is the drive about the best way to do this?
To streamline this, so everybody wins. Is that the essence of.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
It, Matt.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Yeah, we want racing to be around for another hundred years.
And if you keep trying to sort of spread the
limited capital you have across every space, you're not going
to get there. You'll see through the report one's published
on our website, et cetera, is that you know, community
racing is about passion, it's not about profit, and we
(03:51):
think that's still very important. It's important to have a
sport where the community and grassroots can attach themselves to it,
but we also need to be very cognizant of the
fact that it is a business. It's backed by wagering,
and wagering outcomes are about full fields.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Good track surfaces and consistency.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Consistency and that's something that's something we really need to
focus on over the next ten years or we'll find
ourselves in trouble. We have our climate here in NZ,
especially during these winter months where racing is very difficult.
We have tracks that some of them haven't been touched
for over fifty sixty years and they're not draining properly.
And we need to get we need to get more modernized.
(04:30):
We need to be fit for purpose and so Yeah,
if we keep doing what we're doing, we'll have a
lot of fun. It's a great industry to be a
part of, but that doesn't pay the bills, and we
need to be smarter about it.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
And for that.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
There are some clubs that have value, and you know,
their legacy may be that they still continue to race
as a tenant club, but the funds that we realize
from some of their current assets and someone will help
fund other parts of the industry.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
It really is a call to action.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
It's not one where you know, we can be selfish
anymore or think about our own interests. Who really want
to see this industry around for grandkids and future generations
will need to work.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Together and we'll need to get the best outcomes for us.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Sorry. So you you basically need a plan. You need
a proper plan. And the next thing after you've got
the plan, you know what you want to do through
this report, then you've got to get everybody to buy in.
You've got to get everybody on the same page going
in the same direction. How difficult do you think there's
going to be? Are there very many people who are
are pushing back greatly because you've got some iconic racetracks.
(05:36):
I mean, Avandal is already shut down, it's just around
the corner for me, I treat them is huge. I
mean to go through the list of the seven. But
how difficult it is going to be getting everyone on
the same page there? Thing is that the crux of
the problem.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Well, no, I think, I think what this really provides
this one time, This is once in a generation report.
This included harness and thoroughbreds. It's backed by Data so RCP,
which is an independent company. You purely one hundred percent
of New Zealand infrastructure projects know the country well. They
know where roads are being built and access to certain
(06:11):
aspects of the of the sport. And this is really important.
So where are the people? Where are the horse population?
Where are the future anchors we're going to put down
for those younger trainers or younger participants to come through
and go, I know what's going on.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
It's like anythink in life.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
You know, if you know that you buy that house
because the school's going to be around the corner, there's going.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
To be a train line over there, et cetera. And
it's easy to get to you know that.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Our life, Our life is about you know, hours and time,
and for trainers and jockeys and others, you know, to
sit on the road for eight hours, is horses traveling
that long? This is not This is not really the
best outcome. So you know, how do we look at
where the horse population is and the people and then
with the amount of funding we have, which is not
an abundant amount of funding, how do we best allocate that?
(06:55):
So I guess what I'm saying too is it's like
you've got to make each step count. If you go
and place a step over there and you drop a
few million dollars, well that's a few million won't get back.
So what this plan does is that actually say well
that's where you best spend your money. Spending it over there, yep,
that will keep it raining for a while, but it's
not sustainable. You're better off consolidating what you have and
(07:16):
putting it into specific areas. So look, the people I've
spoken to today, yeah, not happy, and that's completely understandable.
We want to work with those clubs. It's not a
fader complete. It's an independent report that's on our desk
now that says that this is what it is, and
we want to work constructively with those clubs and hear
(07:37):
from them as to what they think, but also take
them through the process that we've been through over the
last six plus months now. There is a lot of
logic to it, a lot of methodology, a lot of
common sense it's been applied, a lot of horse knowledge,
but also a lot of data to help us doer
these decisions.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
If you want to find out more about this that
you can, because Mount Ballaste is just about to give
us the website for concerned parties because plainly, more engagement
the better, so you will come to the best conclusion.
Where can people will find it a copy of Project Stamina.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
Just go to the NZTR website. You just need to
google that or WWNZTR dot co and you'll find it there.
We've got a short video from both the chairs of
Harness Racing, Grant Gerald and Russell Warwick, our chairman at NZTR,
and I'll just give you a bit of an overview.
There's frequently asked questions, so what does it mean for me?
(08:32):
What does it mean from my area? How we're going
about things, and so that's really helpful. And then the
Project a Stamina itself. The document. Look, it's a very
impressive document. And you know, it doesn't matter how good
it looks. This document has substance to it. It's been
very carefully considered and it does give us a good
roadmap off the back of some reports that have been
(08:54):
done in the past. But this is sort of the
first time you've seen a real joint locked at the hips,
one equal in view of the master plan for all
of our infrastructure across the country.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Dare I say it's needed and I'm sure this will
be well engaged. And on that Matt Ballasti, CEO of
New Zild Thoroughbed Racing, we thank you very much for
your time and wish you the best and the long
and what will be our duous process.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Appreciate the time and talk soon.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talk Z'B.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
But today it was revealed that up to seven race
tracks right across the Mattu could be closed in a
plan to restructure New Zealand horse racing tracks the infrastructure
full stop. One of those tracks that are possibly up
for the Spanish archer the Elbow Trent them. Wow, that's
a legend of that place. Matt Ballaca joins us now
(00:34):
he's the CEO of just On Thoroughbred Racing. We talk
about all of this and more.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
Good evening, Matt, good evening. Thank you for your time tonight.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
And thanks very much for joining us. Can we just
go paint by numbers through what's going on at the moment,
because there are some huge changes afoot for the racing industry,
not just thoroughbreed harness racing as well. It's called Project Stamina.
So can you tell us what exactly this means, what
it entails, what it might result in.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah, when I came into the chair probably about sixteen
months ago, there was a real absence of a single
master plan across the whole country. There had been one
done which was really more a report and findings the
Masara Report in twenty eighteen, and so there was a
lot that enabled the industry to do, but there's still
(01:23):
so much more that needed to happen. So well, the
message we got also from you know, from higher up,
was that you know, we need to start working closer together,
the two codes, instead of often in competition or in opposition,
work together to see where we can find better efficiencies
to run the businesses, you know, for a more sustainable outlook.
So Stamina actually is the name of the horse that
(01:46):
the Mongolians gave to Minister Peters, so it's not really
known and I sort of picked that name as a
subtle nod to the Minister that we get the message
that we do need to be working together and by
all means one need stamina to you know, to get
through this over the next few years.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Stamen is not something that happens tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (02:05):
It's a consolidated report on infrastructure co jointly with Harness
and Thoroughbread, but very separate as well, and you know,
it puts us in a position to look at data
driven decisions as well as layering over some of those
nuances that racing codes have to put some stakes in
(02:27):
the ground. I guess to say this is where we're
going as of today doesn't mean it's not going to
change as things evolve in time. However, you know, one
of the things I've heard traveling around the country is
we just want to know, you know, are we in
and we out?
Speaker 3 (02:41):
Are we investing here or we not?
Speaker 4 (02:42):
And as you can imagine these these tracks, they're big canvasses,
and you know we'rom a square meterridge perspective. I mean,
everything costs lots of lots of money, so we just
don't have enough to go around, and we need to
be smarter, and we need to see where clubs can
work with other clubs in their region to consolidate, to
regionalize and to still be strong clubs. But maybe we
(03:06):
don't have as many venues.
Speaker 2 (03:08):
So in innocence, you're saying the industry, I won't say
it's it's hemorrhaging, but you can't.
Speaker 3 (03:13):
Afford to do what it keeps doing.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
And you've got the opportunity to generate some funds with
these huge tracts of land you have right across the country.
So is the drive about the best way to do this?
To streamline this, so everybody wins. Is that the essence of.
Speaker 1 (03:29):
It, Matt.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Yeah, we want racing to be around for another hundred years.
And if you keep trying to sort of spread the
limited capital you have across every space, you're not going
to get there. You'll see through the report one's published
on our website, et cetera, is that you know, community
racing is about passion, it's not about profit, and we
(03:51):
think that's still very important. It's important to have a
sport where the community and grassroots can attach themselves to it,
but we also need to be very cognizant of the
fact that it is a business. It's backed by wagering,
and wagering outcomes are about full fields.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
Good track surfaces and consistency.
Speaker 4 (04:09):
Consistency and that's something that's something we really need to
focus on over the next ten years or we'll find
ourselves in trouble. We have our climate here in NZ,
especially during these winter months where racing is very difficult.
We have tracks that some of them haven't been touched
for over fifty sixty years and they're not draining properly.
And we need to get we need to get more modernized.
(04:30):
We need to be fit for purpose and so Yeah,
if we keep doing what we're doing, we'll have a
lot of fun. It's a great industry to be a
part of, but that doesn't pay the bills, and we
need to be smarter about it.
Speaker 3 (04:41):
And for that.
Speaker 4 (04:42):
There are some clubs that have value, and you know,
their legacy may be that they still continue to race
as a tenant club, but the funds that we realize
from some of their current assets and someone will help
fund other parts of the industry.
Speaker 3 (04:57):
It really is a call to action.
Speaker 4 (04:59):
It's not one where you know, we can be selfish
anymore or think about our own interests. Who really want
to see this industry around for grandkids and future generations
will need to work.
Speaker 3 (05:11):
Together and we'll need to get the best outcomes for us.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Sorry. So you you basically need a plan. You need
a proper plan. And the next thing after you've got
the plan, you know what you want to do through
this report, then you've got to get everybody to buy in.
You've got to get everybody on the same page going
in the same direction. How difficult do you think there's
going to be? Are there very many people who are
are pushing back greatly because you've got some iconic racetracks.
(05:36):
I mean, Avandal is already shut down, it's just around
the corner for me, I treat them is huge. I
mean to go through the list of the seven. But
how difficult it is going to be getting everyone on
the same page there? Thing is that the crux of
the problem.
Speaker 4 (05:48):
Well, no, I think, I think what this really provides
this one time, This is once in a generation report.
This included harness and thoroughbreds. It's backed by Data so RCP,
which is an independent company. You purely one hundred percent
of New Zealand infrastructure projects know the country well. They
know where roads are being built and access to certain
(06:11):
aspects of the of the sport. And this is really important.
So where are the people? Where are the horse population?
Where are the future anchors we're going to put down
for those younger trainers or younger participants to come through
and go, I know what's going on.
Speaker 3 (06:23):
It's like anythink in life.
Speaker 4 (06:25):
You know, if you know that you buy that house
because the school's going to be around the corner, there's going.
Speaker 3 (06:29):
To be a train line over there, et cetera. And
it's easy to get to you know that.
Speaker 4 (06:33):
Our life, Our life is about you know, hours and time,
and for trainers and jockeys and others, you know, to
sit on the road for eight hours, is horses traveling
that long? This is not This is not really the
best outcome. So you know, how do we look at
where the horse population is and the people and then
with the amount of funding we have, which is not
an abundant amount of funding, how do we best allocate that?
(06:55):
So I guess what I'm saying too is it's like
you've got to make each step count. If you go
and place a step over there and you drop a
few million dollars, well that's a few million won't get back.
So what this plan does is that actually say well
that's where you best spend your money. Spending it over there, yep,
that will keep it raining for a while, but it's
not sustainable. You're better off consolidating what you have and
(07:16):
putting it into specific areas. So look, the people I've
spoken to today, yeah, not happy, and that's completely understandable.
We want to work with those clubs. It's not a
fader complete. It's an independent report that's on our desk
now that says that this is what it is, and
we want to work constructively with those clubs and hear
(07:37):
from them as to what they think, but also take
them through the process that we've been through over the
last six plus months now. There is a lot of
logic to it, a lot of methodology, a lot of
common sense it's been applied, a lot of horse knowledge,
but also a lot of data to help us doer
these decisions.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
If you want to find out more about this that
you can, because Mount Ballaste is just about to give
us the website for concerned parties because plainly, more engagement
the better, so you will come to the best conclusion.
Where can people will find it a copy of Project Stamina.
Speaker 4 (08:10):
Just go to the NZTR website. You just need to
google that or WWNZTR dot co and you'll find it there.
We've got a short video from both the chairs of
Harness Racing, Grant Gerald and Russell Warwick, our chairman at NZTR,
and I'll just give you a bit of an overview.
There's frequently asked questions, so what does it mean for me?
(08:32):
What does it mean from my area? How we're going
about things, and so that's really helpful. And then the
Project a Stamina itself. The document. Look, it's a very
impressive document. And you know, it doesn't matter how good
it looks. This document has substance to it. It's been
very carefully considered and it does give us a good
roadmap off the back of some reports that have been
(08:54):
done in the past. But this is sort of the
first time you've seen a real joint locked at the hips,
one equal in view of the master plan for all
of our infrastructure across the country.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Dare I say it's needed and I'm sure this will
be well engaged. And on that Matt Ballasti, CEO of
New Zild Thoroughbed Racing, we thank you very much for
your time and wish you the best and the long
and what will be our duous process.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Appreciate the time and talk soon.
Speaker 1 (09:22):
For more from Sports Talk, listen live to News Talks
it'd be from seven pm weekdays, or follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.
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