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Racing Industry Act 2020

Racing - Offence relating to greyhounds

53A: Offence relating to unlawful destruction of specified greyhound

You could also call this:

“It's illegal to kill a racing greyhound or help someone else do it”

You can’t destroy a specified greyhound or help someone else do it unless you’re a vet or a vet student working with a vet. A specified greyhound is any greyhound that is or was registered with the New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association, including puppies from registered breeding females.

There are two exceptions to this rule:

  1. A vet can put down a greyhound for reasons allowed by the greyhound euthanasia policy.
  2. Someone can destroy a greyhound if another law allows it.

If you break this rule, you could go to jail for up to 12 months or be fined up to $50,000, or both.

This law doesn’t just apply to current racing greyhounds. It also covers greyhounds that used to be registered and puppies born to registered female greyhounds.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS1016303.

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Part 2 Racing
Offence relating to greyhounds

53AOffence relating to unlawful destruction of specified greyhound

  1. A person (other than a veterinarian or a veterinary student acting under the direct supervision of a veterinarian) commits an offence if the person—

  2. intentionally destroys a specified greyhound; or
    1. knowingly participates in, or procures, the destruction of a specified greyhound.

      1. Subsection (1) does not apply to—

      2. the euthanasia of a specified greyhound procured by any person that is undertaken by a veterinarian for a reason specified in clause 2 or 3 of the greyhound euthanasia policy of GRNZ that was in force immediately before commencement of this section:
        1. the destruction of a specified greyhound by a person acting under the authority of any other legislation.

          1. A person who commits an offence against this section is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 12 months or a fine not exceeding $50,000, or both.

          2. In this section,—

            breeding female means a female greyhound that is registered with GRNZ for breeding purposes

              destroy, in relation to a specified greyhound, means to destroy by any means

                GRNZ means New Zealand Greyhound Racing Association Incorporated

                  specified greyhound—

                  1. means a greyhound that is or was registered with GRNZ in accordance with racing rules made under section 37 before, on, or after the commencement of this section; and
                    1. includes the offspring of a breeding female, whether born before, on, or after the commencement of this section

                      veterinarian has the meaning given by section 4 of the Veterinarians Act 2005.

                      Notes
                      • Section 53A: inserted, on , by section 4 of the Racing Industry (Unlawful Destruction of Specified Greyhounds) Amendment Act 2024 (2024 No 51).