There is one thing which will be vital for those expecting to attend a race or trial meeting from Friday, 3 December.

The government’s My Vaccine Pass will be essential for anyone wanting to get on course as racing clubs move to operate race and trial meetings as events under the COVID Protection Framework.

The new system comes into force from midnight on Thursday, 2 December where the entire country will move into the Traffic Light System.  Venues which require the My Vaccine Pass will be able to operate without restrictions on numbers under Green and Orange, and with slight restrictions under Red.

Details on how to obtain your My Vaccine Pass can be found here.

This means owners, sponsors, racing club members, and racegoers will be able to enjoy a day at the races with much more freedom than under the previous alert systems.

There will still be some restrictions though, and we ask those attending race meetings to be mindful of these.  They include, but are not restricted to:

• Clubs will limit entry points to the course to allow security staff to check all those entering have the My Vaccine Pass;
• Under ‘Red’ mask wearing indoors is required (when not seating and eating/drinking);
• People are also asked not to attend, or run the risk of being turned away, if they have cold or flu symptoms.

The full list of protocols can be found here.

NZTR has taken this approach as it will not only ensure the safety of all those working and attending our events, but also provide more certainty for clubs and our participants.

Since our initial update regarding the use of the My Vaccine Pass government has provided some leeway for those working at events.  This will mean that until Monday, 17 January those workers who are able to prove they have had their first vaccine dose by Friday, 3 December will be allowed to continue working at race and trial meetings.   

After 17 January, all workers will need to be fully vaccinated to continue to gain admission to race and trial meetings. This does not apply to owners, sponsors, members or raceday patrons.

NZTR will provide a further update following the government’s announcement regarding how the Traffic Light System will be applied to New Zealand’s regions, however there is strong indication that no region will move into Green immediately.