Goldstar Racing has been the Evans family's pride and joy for the past 15 years.
The Canterbury family-of-three team - husband and wife Steve and Bonnie and 23-year-old son Riley - are closing in on 2000 greyhound race wins.
But it all came crashing down for the Leeston family in December when the Government confirmed it was progressing a total ban on greyhound racing by July 31, 2026.
"We were all just sitting together at home when we got the news and it was just devastating.
"We went out to our morning tasks with the dogs and pretty much from there I was already on the phone seeing if I could make a move work,” said Steve Evans.
While keeping their plans quiet, the Evans family worked on an involved operation to fly 80 of their greyhounds to Queensland and rent a new training facility.
They have leased a rural property in Churchable, about an hour’s drive from Ipswich and the $86m The Q racing track which opened in June.
“We got our final MPI (Ministry of Primary Industries) clearance to ship the dogs within 12 hours of needing to be at the airport with all our dogs,” said Evans.
“We kept it all pretty hush hush and didn’t tell many people. We were just waiting, waiting, waiting to get approval so it was a bit of a close run thing with the flight.”
Evans preferred not to say the exact amount spent on the move, but said it cost “hundreds of thousands”.
The dogs had to receive additional vaccinations and health checks before the flight.
“The transport and the containers and everything brought it up to a massive cost, but I didn’t want to sit on my hands and in 12 months be closed down and wonder, what if,” said Evans.
The Government’s ban will take effect at the end of July next year, pending a judicial review requested by Greyhound Racing New Zealand in March.
During the 2024-25 season, the greyhound death toll was 17.
Greyhound Racing NZ says it has complied with and exceeded animal welfare requirements in various reviews of the sport.
Evans concurs, saying greyhounds are safer and better treated than racing horses.
"Our dogs are loved and well cared for.
"Accidents happen but it’s now a heavily regulated industry.
"All dogs are tracked and have the best vet support if they are injured."
Greyhound Racing NZ points to a higher race-day euthanasia rate for horse racing with 0.61 per 1000 starting horses as opposed to 0.39 per 1000 starting greyhounds.
There are 1054 people working in greyhound racing who will lose their jobs in New Zealand when the ban is introduced.
"I’m confident we’ve made the right move, because I don’t think the ban will get overturned," said Evans.
The family’s greyhounds had Evans and Bonnie’s name attached as trainers until four years ago when they switched to Riley’s.
The family usually ranked third or fourth overall in the New Zealand national trainers premiership.
Riley has a successful record for a young New Zealand trainer, having been the youngest to reach 100 wins in a season from 2020-21.
Since moving to Queensland, Riley has had 46 wins at The Q, including two last weekend. He is currently the leading trainer on the Q1 track at the facility.
His greyhounds were first and second in a 550m race last Thursday.
“The prize money is a lot more over there but it’s also a lot harder to win,” said Evans.
“We’re really proud of the results Riley is getting.”
Evans is unsure if many other New Zealand greyhound trainers will shift to Australia but has his doubts.
“I hope particularly some of the young greyhound trainers can come over and keep doing what they love, but it’s not easy to make that choice.”
The cost of moving may also be too high for many, he said.
“He just loves it and, as parents, we want to support his goals.”
Evans has lived in, or near, Leeston his whole life and used to be a horse trainer until making the switch to greyhounds 15 years ago.
A planned ban on greyhound racing in Tasmania by mid-2029 and an existing ban in the Australian Capital Territory from 2018 did not dissuade Evans’ decision.
“There doesn’t seem to be any push like that in Queensland,” he said.
Evans is currently back in Leeston rehoming the 40 remaining greyhounds that could not be transported.
This was mostly either due to the additional expense or because the dog was already retired or too young.
There are only a handful left to rehome and the process has been emotional for Evans.
“Some of these dogs have been with us for a long time and we’ll really miss them,” he said.
Before rehoming, the dogs are sent to a Greyhound Racing NZ programme to domesticate them and ensure they adjust well to life as household pets.
Greyhound Racing New Zealand chief executive Edward Rennell has slammed the Government’s ban.
"It’s a disdainful approach to lawmaking and a particularly brutal way to treat people," Rennell said.
"Their heartless disregard for destroying thousands of livelihoods of regional Kiwis to satisfy an urban elite and reward horse racing is frankly depressing.
“The truth is our people are honest, hard-working and look after their dogs. We meet all welfare requirements the Government makes of us, endorsed by their own Racing Integrity Board."
Impact of the greyhound racing ban
Rennell said the ban will be felt most in the provinces, particularly Waikato, the Central North Island and Canterbury. Greyhound racing ban in numbers:
• Closure of GRNZ and seizure of more than $15m in club assets.
• Greyhound racing contributed $159.2 million to the economy in the 2023 financial year.
• An estimated 2900 greyhounds are being rehomed.
• 1054 full-time employees will lose their jobs.
• Betting on Australian greyhounds will continue with more than $220m in bets annually.
• After all New Zealand racing greyhounds are rehomed, all GRNZ assets and future profit from Australian greyhound betting will be transferred to horse racing.
