The New Zealand government will end greyhound racing, Racing Minister Winston Peters has announced.

The decision had been made to protect the welfare of the racing dogs, Mr Peters said.

Legislation will be passed under urgency on Tuesday to prevent any unnecessary killing of racing dogs as a result of the announcement.

"Despite significant progress made by the greyhound racing industry in recent years, the percentage of dogs being injured remains persistently high and the time has come to make a call in the best interest of the animals," he said.

The industry had been on notice over animal welfare concerns for several years, Mr Peters said, and three reviews over the past decade all recommended significant changes.

Mr Peters said members of the industry were learning about the decision at the same time as the public, as he wanted to make sure the dogs were re-homed properly.

Stopping greyhound racing was "the right thing to do", Mr Peters said, and it was not a matter of how he felt about it.

A committee has been set up to help manage a 20-month transition — including rehoming the roughly 2,900 racing greyhounds in New Zealand.

Mr Peters described the dogs as "superbly good pets … and clean".

"Keeping unwanted dogs safe is a priority. The government is working with animal welfare organisations to establish programmes to support rehoming," he said.

Homes would be found for the dogs, Mr Peters said, and they would not be sent to race overseas.

Appearing before a select committee in June, Mr Peters said he was considering changes but also declared "dogs love racing" and encouraged his fellow MPs to "watch them in the wild".

During a televised leaders' debate before last year's election, New Zealand National Party leader Christopher Luxon expressed support for a ban on greyhound racing.

After becoming prime minister, Mr Luxon told reporters he maintained that position but said the matter was now one for Mr Peters to consider.

Animal activists have long called for action after numerous reviews of the sport sounded alarm about animal welfare practices.

In 2021, former sports minister Grant Robertson put the industry "formally on notice" after a report found a failure to adequately improve animal welfare systems.

In May last year, then-racing minister Kieran McAnulty declared that the status quo was no longer viable: "We are faced with two options: continue under strict conditions, or closure."

Mr McAnulty, however, did not take any action before the election. He said he had been delayed due to his other responsibilities as cyclone recovery minister following a series of severe weather events.

Industry responds

Greyhound Racing New Zealand chief executive Edward Rennell said the organisation was devastated by the news.

"We believe that greyhound racing as an industry has taken huge, huge strides over the last two years and is leading the way in the racing industry from an animal welfare perspective, so the decision today is clearly very disappointing."

The injury rate was in line with international benchmarks and was lower than the Australian average, and the rate of euthanasia on race days was lower than the horse racing industry, Mr Rennell said.

His organisation had been providing quarterly reports to the minister and had requested a meeting to discuss the future of the industry.

"But we haven't had that," Mr Rennell said.

The law being passed under urgency was redundant, he said.

"We have a euthanasia policy where individuals can't euthanase the dog unless it's for genuine welfare reasons, so the legislation is unnecessary for licensed people."

Mr Rennell said he was concerned for the 1,000 people whose livelihoods depended on the industry.

Animal rights organisation relieved

SAFE campaign manager Emma Brodie said she was "incredibly relieved" by Tuesday's announcement.

"This marks an end of an era of exploitation and a monumental win for animal rights in Aotearoa," she said.

This year, SAFE, the SPCA and HUHA (Helping You Help Animals) put out a joint rehoming offer, and that was still on the table, she said.

The organisations wanted to work with the government to rehome and rehabilitate former racing dogs.

But Greyhound Racing New Zealand recently put out a rehoming policy prohibiting trainers from releasing greyhounds to animal shelters and rescue organisations.

"So we're not sure how realistic it will be that we will be able to assist, but we are here and we are ready to help where we can," Ms Brodie said.

RNZ