Codes, clubs will get more power under amended Bill

The codes and clubs of New Zealand racing could be handed more power by huge changes to what will be one of the most important documents in the history of the sport.

And that could provide a lifeline to embattled clubs such as Avondale while also providing the codes with more input into how their races are promoted to the public, including its under-siege broadcasting arm.

The Racing Industry Bill is on target to be passed before the election, which will be of great relief to racing administrators as they seek to get their house in order.

The Bill has been through the select committee process and will now return to Parliament for its second and third readings and looks certain to pass, meaning racing will be governed by new laws in coming months after some painstaking work by the Racing Industry Transition Agency (RITA).

The Bill includes wordy, technical clauses on issues most racing followers won’t care about, things like the formation of TAB NZ to take over from RITA, how offshore betting charges will be collected and the powers of the Racing Integrity Board.

But the select committee, who had more than 900 submissions on the Bill, did make significant changes to the original document and with all racing administrators realising the need for it to be passed before the September election, there isn’t a lot of time to seek more amendments.

One of the major changes by the select committee will make it harder for the Minister for Racing and/or the codes to deem a venue surplus to needs.

The original Bill would have made it easier for a track such as Avondale to be shut, taken over by the industry and potentially sold.

But the select committee stated granting the Minister for Racing the ultimate power to make that decision “could unjustly result in a club surrendering its venue to the code”.

The Minister for Racing will, if the new version of the Bill is passed, have to place greater weight on factors such as how the transferring of any club’s assets would effect the community.

The latest version of the Bill also says clubs whose venues are under threat have the right to an independent reviewer and as a last resort can appeal to the High Court.

If it becomes law, Avondale will have avenues available that looked closed just weeks ago.

Another key change to the original Bill relates to the ownership of racing’s intellectual property (IP), which was originally going to handed to TAB NZ.

That would have given them total control over all race fields, vision and audio of New Zealand racing.

The select committee has instead recommended this be a commercial matter to be negotiated between the codes and the TAB, so they now have to discuss over how New Zealand racing’s IP is used.

The codes look certain to raise their concerns over the TAB’s already implemented step away from promoting domestic racing which they decree is now the sole responsibility of the codes.

Although that may be TAB NZ’s plan, they also control the industry’s only broadcasting arm in Trackside television which is set to have enormously reduced local coverage.

That means Australian metropolitan thoroughbred racing is scheduled to get more coverage, colour and engagement than New Zealand racing apart from 20 days a year.

Put simply, New Zealand punters will get vastly superior coverage of foreign racing than local racing.

That deeply irks racing code bosses and could have a disastrous long-term effect on not only domestic turnover but risks making New Zealand racing unpalatable to casual viewers let alone potential owners.

If the new Bill forces TAB NZ and the codes to negotiate over how their IP is used, it may come with the caveat New Zealand racing is not turned into an inferior television product. The codes will want racing promoted, not just screened.

Under the proposed Bill the codes and clubs had a lot less power. After the select committee changes, the future of racing looks more balanced. ● The man who has helped navigate New Zealand racing to its new era is adamant he won’t be in charge in the future.

Dean McKenzie is the executive chair of RITA and has overseen the new racing Bill as well as drastic cuts to the industry’s expenses.

He and many of the RITA board could stay on when that organisation becomes TAB NZ, probably in August, but McKenzie says he will not be the chief executive of the TAB NZ.

“I haven’t applied and won’t be applying to move to the chief executive role of the new TAB NZ,” McKenzie told the Weekend Herald.

It is understood several of those on a potential shortlist for the chief executive role are based overseas so have not yet been able to come to New Zealand for the next phase of interviews.