File pic Photo: Photosport
An animal rights group says it is delighted with the decision to remove the greyhound racing track from the Manukau Sports Bowl.
The Ōtara-Papatoetoe Local Board announced last Friday that a new athletics track will replace the greyhound track.
The local board said the change was part of a plan, aiming to guide the development of the stadium for the next 30 years.
Auckland Council's development arm Eke Panuku is working on a business case for funding to pay for the track, which will be constructed on the site of the greyhound track.
An aerial shot of the Manukau Sport Bowl velodrome that was used to host events at the 1990 Commonwealth Games. Photo: LDR / Stephen Forbes
The Save Animals from Exploitation group's (SAFE) campaigns manager, Anna de Roo, said it was a huge win for both animals and the community.
"This is just another indication that the social licence of greyhound racing has well and truly expired. From our political leaders at the debating table, to now our local communities, the sentiment of New Zealanders is clear: Greyhound racing's time is up.
"New Zealand is one of only a handful of countries to legally allow commercial dog racing. Here, the industry is enormously unpopular with 74 percent of New Zealanders saying they would vote to ban greyhound racing in a referendum," she said.
De Roo said 40 percent of greyhounds in the latest racing season were injured.
Meanwhile, Greyhound Racing New Zealand's chief operating officer Liz Whelan has acknowledged that the masterplan for the venue has been adopted.
However, Whelan said the implementation dates were yet to be confirmed.
She said negotiations were continuing between Auckland Greyhound Racing Club and Auckland Council.
The council said its leasing staff were working with the club on moving the racing away from the stadium to make possible the track's development.