Craig Roberts: Greyhound trainer on Greyhound Racing NZ calling for a judicial review of the ban

New Zealand's greyhound racers aren't going without a fight. 

Greyhound Racing NZ is applying for a judicial review of Racing Minister Winston Peters giving the industry 20 months to wind down, from last November. 

Trainer Craig Roberts told Ryan Bridge he believes people have been fed misinformation about the industry. 

He says about 95% of greyhound injuries aren't serious, and just prevent them racing for a short period of time. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now greyhound Racing New Zealand is started the proceedings for
a judicial review into this ban on the sector. Industry
leaders say Winston Peters has not once consulted on them
about the policy they announced in December. They say a
thousand people's livelihoods will be affected. Nearly three thousand dogs
need to be rehomed by twenty twenty six. Craig Roberts
is a greyhound trainer with us this morning.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Craig, good morning, Yeah, good morning, Ryan, Good morning listeners.

Speaker 3 (00:24):
How long have you been doing this?

Speaker 4 (00:27):
A very long time? Ran over forty years.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
And is this your livelihood?

Speaker 4 (00:35):
Yes, it is that. Obviously it's started off as a
hobby because when I started in greyhound racing, you'd win
a ribbon in about twenty five dollars. So over the years,
as the sport's growing and become part of the tab,
I've been lucky enough to be able to in a
living and it's been my lifestyle and my whole family's

(00:59):
lifestyle ever since.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
How many dogs you got, Craig, I sort of I.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Sort of hover around thirty five to forty race dogs
and try to have about twenty five to thirty racing.

Speaker 1 (01:16):
And what are you going to do with them all?

Speaker 4 (01:21):
Well, we're going to well, of course, this is all.
If the band comes into force on the first of
August twenty twenty six, it will be about two and
a half thousand to three thousand dogs three home. We
will we will be making sure that they do fine

(01:42):
homes and it will be a long, long process of
possibly up to three to four years. But if the
band does go ahead, those greyhounds will be well looked
after and they will be here with us until they
find homes.

Speaker 3 (01:59):
You've got your your judicial review underway.

Speaker 1 (02:01):
Can you understand why pub maybe people who are n't
involved in greyhound racing, why people don't like it?

Speaker 4 (02:10):
Yes, well I can. My opinion on that is that
they have been fed a lot of misinformation and exaggeration
of statistics from a small group of people that are
very vigilant and very aggressive in their deliverance of their

(02:33):
hatred of greyhound racing.

Speaker 1 (02:35):
How many dogs have died under your watch in your
forty years or you know, injured.

Speaker 4 (02:41):
Of my own?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah, probably through through racing injuries over forty years.

Speaker 4 (02:53):
I wouldn't even I'd have to have an add up,
but it wouldn't be it would be single figures, put
it that way, but there have been dogs that have
suffered injuries. Obviously. I've got a beautiful ten year old, beautiful,
big white and brindle male. He hit his leg when

(03:17):
he was about three years old. He's lived a fantastic life.
He was us, he got operated on, he recovered, happy
as there, he's now, he's there or I think he's
about eleven years old now. And there's hundreds of those
sort of tastes, thousands probably over that many years. But

(03:40):
you know, most, probably ninety five percent of the injuries
that are recorded for greyhounds are not serious injuries. They
are just injuries that prevent them from racing for a
short period of time and then they then they recovered
from that and they get back into the race.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
Greig Guy Shure, you're coming on the program. That's Craig Roberts,
greyhound trainer and a board member with Greyhound Racing New Zealand.
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