Racing industry in Northland in good health as new report finds it brings in $16.4m annually

Northland’s horse racing industry is in sound health, with the sector pumping around $16.4 million into the economy annually.

A new report by New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) has revealed just how much the racing industry is worth to the country – $1.3 billion, including $16.4m to the Northland economy. As well, the industry employs 120 fulltime equivalent employees in Northland.

That’s big money and the amount was even a bit of a surprise to Whangārei Racing Club general manager Mike Beazley, who said the figures show just how important the industry was to the region and country. The club runs the Ruakākā Racing Track and associated training facilities.

‘’They even surprised me a bit those [figures]. We know the racing industry is worth a lot of money to the country and this shows it’s a lot more than most people realise,’’ Beazley said.

‘’From a Northland perspective, we have a great set up and community up here. We’ve got 10 trainers that operate out of [Ruakākā] and about 50-70 horses.’’

There are 12 meetings, featuring 95 races, every year at Ruakākā, with many of the race days run as fundraisers for charities.

‘’We also deal with many, many Ruakākā-based and other Northland businesses, such as vets, food suppliers, animal suppliers, just so many others benefit from having the industry here. A lot of that [$16.4 million] goes back into this community and the wider community as a whole benefits from us being here.

‘’And a big focus for the club is giving back so we run a lot of charity fundraising events at the track and those charities always need help.’’

Beazley said the benefits to the wider community, and support for local businesses, from racing was huge. But it was also the support from that community that kept the industry in good health.

‘’It’s a positive report and shows that the industry is in good shape going forward.’’

Beazley said the club’s real strength, and what set it apart from most, was that the Ruakākā Racetrack was perfect for winter racing, being sand-based, meaning it could hold meets when other courses would not be able to over winter.

‘’We can run meetings right from March to September – we have the best natural winter racing facilities in the country.’’

Commissioned by Racing NZ and prepared by consultancy firm IER, The Size and Scope report is a comprehensive look at the racing industry and the biggest of its type since 2017.

Signed-off and welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Racing Winston Peters, the report provides a detailed look at the economic, social and employment benefits of racing across all three codes (thoroughbreds, harness and greyhounds) at a national and regional level.

Bruce Sharrock, NZTR CEO, said the report was a clear demonstration of the health and opportunity within thoroughbred racing in New Zealand.

“Thoroughbred racing remains a vibrant, relevant sport that brings significant economic benefit to the country and employment to thousands of Kiwis – particularly in the regions,” Sharrock said.

“It is also worth noting that the study used figures from the 2022/23 season. Since then there has been a significant amount of change and investment in the industry thanks to the 25-year partnership between Entain and TAB NZ.’’

Key findings related to thoroughbred racing for the 2022/23 season include:

■ Direct spending by the thoroughbred racing industry was measured at $968.4m

■ Total value added was $1302.4m

■ Attendance at the 49 thoroughbred racing clubs stood at 491,661

■ 5732 thoroughbred race horses were in training with 2972 live foals bred

■ 12,081 people own or part own a thoroughbred racehorse

■ From breeders through to volunteers, more than 23,295 Kiwis participate in the industry

■ Wages worth $608.1m are supported either directly or indirectly

The full report can be found at https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/iqjtmfxqf09tjjfw1vswy/Size-and-Scope-of-NZ-Racing-22-23.pdf?rlkey=ivfj7od7xq4qsevcjyvghlcxi&e=1&st=dlf0e6ku&dl=0