New Zealand to Ban Greyhound Racing From 2026

Deputy Prime Minister and Racing Minister Winston Peters had backed greyhound racing months ago.

Greyhounds compete in a race at the Iowa Greyhound Park, Saturday, April 16, 2022, in Dubuque, Iowa. After the end of a truncated season in Dubuque in May, the track here will close. By the end of the year, there will only be two tracks left in the country. AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall

“Dogs love racing,” and MPs should visit a greyhound track to “watch them in the wild.”

That was Winston Peters appearing before a Select Committee just six months ago in June 2024, when he claimed banning the sport could land taxpayers in legal trouble—not because of any official advice, he later admitted, but based on his experience as a former lawyer.