The announcement this afternoon by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, that New Zealand would move to Alert Level 3 from 11.59pm on Monday, 27 April, was greeted with cautious optimism by NZTR.

The Prime Minister said that following two weeks at Alert level 3, a further review and alert level decision will be made on May 11.

Over the past few weeks NZTR has developed protocols to enable training, trialling and racing to be safely conducted under COVID-19 levels 3 and 2.  The measures outlined within the protocols include strategies adopted in NSW and Victoria which have allowed for the successful continuation of racing in those states.

NZTR, with the assistance of RITA, has ensured that government has been fully informed of the measures proposed and the structure of regulated compliance within the industry to ensure they are adhered to.

While today’s announcement is promising it is not a confirmation that we will automatically return to racing.   The industry’s protocols must first meet the requirements of several government departments – DIA, MPI, MBIE and Worksafe – before permission is granted to allow the industry to return to the track.

Racing is not the only industry going through this process however, we are confident that with the focus and support of our participants we will be well positioned to respond to the restrictions under alert level 3.

NZTR will advise our participants as soon as we have a clear sign-off by government regarding when we will be able to return to training, trialling and racing.  At that stage the protocols will be circulated to industry participants.