Fatima Avdic, the co-founder of Nightrave, a greyhound rehoming service near Waipukurau, is facing the closure of her business with greyhound racing ending on July 31.
Fatima Avdic, the co-founder of Nightrave, a greyhound rehoming service near Waipukurau, is facing the closure of her business with greyhound racing ending on July 31.
The co-founder of a Central Hawke’s Bay greyhound rehoming service says she and her 12 employees are “living in hell” at the impending shutdown of greyhound racing.
Fatima Avdic, who operates Nightrave Greyhounds near Waipukurau, was in tears as she told Hawke’s Bay Today of her fears that euthanisingthe industry’s dogs will be easier than trying to rehome a flood of them when the ban kicks in.
Nightrave Greyhounds is fully funded by Greyhound Racing New Zealand, which pays for the dogs’ care and staff salaries.
It’s set to cease at the end of July, due the Government’s shutdown of the greyhound racing industry, first announced in 2024 by Racing Minister Winston Peters.
The decision was made after animal welfare concerns and three reviews of the industry (2013, 2017, 2021), which outlined significant safety issues.
During the bill’s second reading on Tuesday, Peters said that in the 2024-25 racing season, there were 16 race-related greyhound fatalities, equating to 0.47 fatalities per 1000 racing starts.
There were also 822 race-related injuries, of which 250 were serious.
Avdic said the ban had left the service in a “horrific” form of limbo over its future, and whether she will play a role in rehoming the greyhounds.
Nightrave workers have been preparing to eventually lose their jobs, but with four months to go, exactly what the shutdown looks like for them isn’t clear.
“We have been living in hell,” she said.
“It completely shocked us and completely devastated our community,” she said of the impending ban.
She said the downstream economic effects of the shutdown could “snowball” into other businesses in Central Hawke’s Bay, including vets, tradespeople, cleaners and a local pet food factory.
“This is our livelihood, but even worse, I’ve got people who have mortgages, who have children, and I can’t help.“
She said the facility was also used as a training space for vet students to carry out practical work.
Nightrave also employs a dog trainer, Avdic said. “She loses her job.”
Avdic said welfare issues were not a good enough reason to shut down the industry.
Nightrave Greyhound staff are facing the loss of their jobs due to the Government's decision to end greyhound racing from July 31.
The bill has progressed to the Committee of the Whole House stage, where the House considers the bill in detail, questions the MP in charge, and may make changes.
“We recognise that participants in this industry do not wish to see it close, and that this bill represents a significant disruption to their livelihoods and way of life,” Peters said in his second reading speech.
“It is for that reason that the measures in this bill are designed to ensure the closure is orderly and well-managed.”
The Ministerial Advisory Committee, established to plan the transition, has set out key elements of their plan as part of the recent select committee process.
This included setting up a transition agency with options to take over ownership of dogs until they are re-homed and offering mental health and wellbeing services for those whose daily lives are closely tied to the industry.
The plan involves re-training support for industry workers and training and behavioural help for greyhounds to improve rehoming outcomes.
“We’re ready for a smooth transition, with planning focused on certainty, support, and, most importantly, ensuring the welfare of greyhounds,” Peters said.
Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) said it was inappropriate for the Government to be offering cost-of-living relief for the fuel crisis while legislating for further job losses.
GRNZ chief executive Edward Rennell said the Government’s move had stripped 1054 people of their livelihoods.
“These are regional jobs gone by August 1 with no compensation, no transition plan and serious consequences for local economies and animal welfare.”
Rennell said the policy would hit families, animals, and small businesses at a time when the economy could ill-afford the costs.
“On one hand, the Government is offering short-term relief for one set of workers. On the other, it is permanently destroying livelihoods for others.”
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
