In a major victory for animal welfare advocates and greyhounds, the conservative New Zealand government has announced a ban on greyhound racing.
Aotearoa is finally bringing the suffering and cruelty of greyhound racing to an end, with the industry to be phased out over the next two years and the final ban coming into effect in July 2026.
Greyhound racing is now banned in many countries. It’s also illegal in the ACT, for good reason. It is a form of state-sponsored violence towards gentle, blameless dogs. Increasingly, everyday people find this completely unacceptable.
It’s past time for the Tasmanian Government to show the same humane leadership. The Liberals and Labor here need to accept the reality that greyhound racing has lost its social license due to the grotesque level of exploitation and public subsidy underpinning the industry.
As each day goes by without taking the necessary action, beautiful, sentient greyhounds are suffering neglect, injury and early death.
It has to stop. Aetearoa’s conservative government gets it. Hopefully, the Premier and his Racing Minister are paying attention to developments across the Tasman, and it gives them courage to act.
