- Wanganui Greyhound Racing Club is selling assets at the soon-to-close Hatrick Raceway in Whanganui.
- The sale includes the grandstand and pavilion but not the land, which is council-owned.
- Greyhound racing ends on July 31 due to government findings on inadequate animal-welfare standards.
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Wanganui Greyhound Racing Club is selling off its assets at the soon-to-close Hatrick Raceway site on Guyton Street, in Whanganui.
Up for grabs are the pavilion and grandstand, a tractor shed, the flood lights, and the mechanical lure that greyhounds chased when they raced at the track.
The sale, however, doesn’t include the land beneath the buildings, which is owned by Whanganui District Council.
Greyhound racing will come to an end in New Zealand on July 31, because government reviews found the industry wasn’t meeting modern animal‑welfare standards.
The greyhounds in action at Wanganui Greyhound Racing Club's Hatrick Raceway in 2019. Photo / Bevan Conley
Crowds outside the grandstand and pavilion. Photo / Bevan Conley
Spriggens Park is one of the sites affected. It has hosted greyhound racing since the early 1900s and at its height was as popular as rugby in the city.
"The Wanganui Greyhound Racing Club held regular races over 300 yards around the football field,” said a report in the Wanganui Herald. “Large crowds gathered to watch the racing, but the sport went into recess shortly after the start of the [Second World] war and never recovered.”
However, the sport built up again and, at one point, the club was hosting around 100 meetings a year.
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Property Brokers listing agent Richard White told OneRoof he was fielding enquiries from a range of buyers, but noted the need for a lot of due diligence.
In his listing, White describes the grandstand as one of "Whanganui’s most recognisable large-scale venue assets".
"Offering scale, profile and versatility seldom seen in the local market, this property presents a tremendous opportunity for investors, venue operators, community organisations, or commercial users seeking a distinctive premises with presence.”
The listing includes an 803sqm grandstand and function facility, which boasts a commercial kitchen and bar area and offices and meeting rooms. The external machinery shed is 110sqm in size.
Wanganui Rugby uses the fields inside the racing track and hires changing rooms on the ground floor of the pavilion from the greyhound club.
The pavilion provides a range of facilities, including a bar and meeting rooms. Photo / Supplied
White told OneRoof that buyers would need to negotiate the ground lease with the council. “The improvements owned by the Greyhound Racing Club are situated on Whanganui District Council leasehold land. And that just adds a little bit of a complication.
“Also, there's the scale of the site. That may or may not suit someone who's just interested in the structural improvements, but not the grounds.
“The campaign I'm running is to invite expressions of interest so parties can sit down and let me know where they're coming from. I can then float that with the club and with the district council,” he said.
“The zoning of the area is recreational, which is quite specific, but also a fantastic opportunity for entities that can see that as a real advantage.
“A buyer could sit down with the council and say, ‘Hey, is it worth us going down that track?' The council is very open-minded and will listen to anyone who comes along.
“The council also recognises that it's a two-way thing, that they've now got these facilities sitting there that are going to be surplus to requirements.
“But we don't want to waste the time of someone coming in and saying we want to set up a nightclub.”
White said the listing had "sparked genuine interest", adding that if the facilities were on freehold land, the sale would be a "pretty easy conversation".
He said the greyhound club could decide to pursue other business opportunities and stay as a landlord, sublease, or set up a business at the property.
- 216 Guyton Street, Whanganui, is for sale, price on application
