One of the many long standing complaints from people at the grassroots level of harness racing in New Zealand is the complete lack of understanding of the issues that many in the industry face on a daily basis by the members of both the Racing Board and Harness Racing New Zealand.
The lack of regular direct contact between those two bodies and the industry participants was seen as a major cause of the problems facing harness racing and was due in a big part to the different priorities the two groups have.
Yesterday the recently appointed CEO of the NZRB John Allen tried to address the lack of effective communication between the Racing Board and industry groups when he agreed to meet representatives of various groups within the industry in Auckland.
Facilitated by Richard Brosnan, the meeting included people such as Todd MacFarlane, Steve Phillips, John Curtin, Jay Abernathy, Roydon Downey and others and was a chance for John Allen to take on board the issues facing the industry from a grassroots perspective.
Richard Brosnan was impressed by the approach of the new CEO.
" He didn't come to defend the past but to listen and learn and that was a huge improvement on what has happened previously."
" He listened to our concerns with an open mind and was honest and direct when he needed to be"
" The important thing as I saw it was he flew in from Wellington just for this meeting which to my mind signaled that he genuinely wants our input.
" The fact that he has agreed to meet us again in the future was another big plus in my book," Richard said.
Matters raised at the meeting covered a wide range of topics from the level and depth of remuneration at the Racing Board (93 on $100,000) to the ownership of broadcasting rights to the harness racing product in New Zealand through to the governance structures in harness racing and the current review of the club structure in New Zealand.
Yesterday's meeting with John Allen was the first time in living memory that someone with real clout in this industry took the time to come and listen to the people at the coal face.
For that alone John Allen should be congratulated for meeting with everyone yesterday and for having an open mind on the problems facing the industry.
Harnesslink Media