Beginning August 1, alongside the start of the 2026/27 Racing Season, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR) will be introducing a new national venue categorisation framework.

Each active New Zealand thoroughbred venue will be placed into one of three strategic categories: Metropolitan, Provincial, or Community. 

The framework will guide how NZTR distributes code funding through both base stakes levels and club funding, with the current models for each being updated to align with the venue categorisation structure.

While the outcomes of Project Stamina will determine the longer-term future of the venue makeup for the industry, the venue categorisation forms part of a wider racing strategy for next season and will help establish a nationally consistent approach to defining the role of each active thoroughbred venue.

Category placement for next season has been determined on a number of factors including geographical location, proximity to other racing venues, population, race meeting volume, wagering turnover, access to horse populations, and quality of horses racing at the venue.

This work is about ensuring the industry is in the strongest possible position at the conclusion of the current five-year minimum funding guarantee period and aligning a model that supports long-term sustainability beyond that timeframe. The revised venue structure is expected to improve programming outcomes for all participants, enabling horses more regular opportunities for the betterment of turnover.

The industry has seen some positives this season with field sizes and wagering. Alongside the wider changes to come with Project Stamina, NZTR believes it is important the code continues to evolve and position itself to maximise industry returns, with the support of our partner Entain.

For both stakes and club funding purposes, both the Metropolitan and Provincial levels will be split into “A” and “B” venues, which will help right size those levels throughout the country – the aim being to better recognise regional industry investment levels, develop options to reward operational club excellence, and find the right balance between horse participation/ability and producing a product that consistently stimulates betting interest. 

As part of the new framework, the current raceday descriptions of Iconic, Premier, Feature and Industry racedays will be removed.

A key objective of the model is ensuring the best available horses are racing at the most appropriate venues, at the right times of the season, to maximise industry performance. NZTR will continue to prioritise investment into high-performing wagering venues, supporting reliability and optimal utilisation of racing infrastructure. Data and performance trends will continue to inform future decisions, and the new framework is intended to provide greater flexibility and precision in how those decisions are made.

Further detail on the implementation approach and timing will be shared with industry in coming weeks as work progresses alongside Project Stamina, confirmation of funding levels, and the NZTR Funding Policies for the 2026/2027 Season.

2026/27 Venue Categorisation – Full Venue List
Metropolitan
For funding purposes, Metro venues are further divided into categories A and B. 
For 2026–27 Season, the Metropolitan venues are: 

• Ellerslie (A) 
• Te Rapa (B) 
• Hastings (B) 
• Trentham (B) 
• Riccarton (B)

Provincial
For funding purposes, Provincial venues are further divided into categories A and B. 
For 2026–27 Season, the Provincial venues are: 

• Pukekohe (A) 
• Matamata (A) 
• Tauranga (A) 
• New Plymouth (A) 
• Otaki (A) 
• Wanganui (A)
• Ashburton (A) 
• Wingatui (A) 
• Rotorua (B) 
• Taupo (B) 
• Te Aroha (B)
• Ruakaka (B) 
• Hawera (B) 
• Timaru (B) 
• Woodville (B)
• Waverley (B)
• Invercargill (B)
• Riverton (B)

Community
For 2026–27 Season, the Community venues are: 

• Cambridge Synthetic 
• Awapuni Synthetic 
• Riccarton Synthetic
• Tauherenikau 
• Waipukurau
• Kumara 
• Greymouth
• Reefton 
• Cromwell 
• Gore 
• Kurow 
• Oamaru