Horan Brendan: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeHoran Brendan: Supplementary Estimates — Imprest Supply Debate[Sitting date: 24 June 2014. Volume:699;Page:18820. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]BRENDAN HORAN (Independent):Today I want to examine what the Government is doing in the supplementary estimates for a once-proud and burgeoning industry that is now after successive Governments’ neglect in dire need. I am talking about some of the hardest workers in the country—grassroots New Zealanders who are up at 4 a.m. and on the job. I am of course referring to the New Zealand racing industry. Currently trainers are talking about shutting up shop. Many top trainers have left or are leaving the country and becoming top trainers overseas. That is an export that we do not need—David Bennett: Good on you—going after Winston’s trade. Ha ha! What a double-cross—excellent.BRENDAN HORAN: —there is one we do though. Look at the Moroneys Stephen Gray in Singapore Paul O’Sullivan in Hong Kong to name just a few.We need a Minister for Racing who is dedicated to racing—one portfolio one Minister—and for that Minister to have the guts and determination to lift stakes centralise racetracks cut the number of race days and supply tax cuts for breeders of broodmares especially the hobby trainer and the smaller breeder. Currently over one-third of broodmares both thoroughbred and standardbred have disappeared. Breeders are finding they are getting less for their foals than the cost of servicing growing the foal and getting it to the market. In 2 years’ time we will have such a shortage of young horses that our $1.6 billion industry which is teetering now will fall over the brink.There is the equivalent of some 17000 full-time workers the heart and soul of racing. There are some 52000 workers involved actively in racing on a daily basis. Earlier today I spoke to a trainer. For him to send a horse to a midweek meet costs him some $700 in transport feed grooming and staff. Those are his direct costs. If the horse does not win the trainer comes home with nothing. You know that something is seriously wrong with racing when our top trainers are struggling to make a dollar and leaving our country in droves.I urge the Minister as I have urged him before to raise stakes within a year. Weekday meetings should have a $15000 minimum and Saturday races should carry a minimum of $30000. By cutting out the Monday and Friday races in the thoroughbred industry we will have extra money that can go straight into stakes. We need a Minister who will do the hard yards and either extract payment from offshore bookies or legislate and enforce that and punish people who gamble with those offshore bookies. They contribute nothing to the New Zealand racing industry. But I think the Minister will find if he talks to these bookmakers that they would rather contribute to our industry than lose the big-money punters from New Zealand. There are more things that must change but I reiterate that stakes must be raised.Tracks must be maintained to a safe and reliable level. Last year we had a record number of abandoned race days and this year we are on target to beat that. I would remind the Racing Board that it is its duty to look after the interests of stakeholders and that includes track upkeep and safety.Moving on race fields legislation must be introduced and the Racing Act must be made fit for purpose. Section 16 has to be changed. I do not mind if other parties plagiarise or steal these ideas because it is racing that is suffering and racing will survive if we implement these ideas.Racing needs heroes. It already has them but it is just a question of presentation. Harness racing needs heroes. They need to be given more incentive to ply their trade. We need vision from the Minister and innovative thinking. I suggest that the top 10 drivers from each island be contracted and paid a base fee. The top 20 drivers would compete throughout the country with four 10-horse fields as part of each premier race meeting.There are other things we could do. The industry needs to evolve. The Government needs to move with the times and value and retain people in the industry and attract those from outside. The racing folk who I know are some of the hardest-working people in the country deserve a strong voice. The industry should be exciting energetic and vibrant but sadly it has steadily declined. However we can turn it round. It is just a question of vision and leadership—inseparables that the New Zealand Independent Coalition provides. The New Zealand Independent Coalition is determined to save the racing industry.