Racing calendar optimised for 2025-26 season

A strategic focus on the use of racecourses and racing patterns underpin the 2025-26 New Zealand racing calendar released today.

The calendar builds on the changes made in the 2024-25 calendar to provide the best product for racing fans both in New Zealand and abroad.

Next season’s calendar includes highlights such as the World Drivers Championship being hosted by Harness Racing New Zealand in November and the return of a full season of racing at Awapuni in the thoroughbred code.

Other features from the calendar, agreed upon by the TAB NZ Dates Commitee in conjunction with the three racing codes, are:

• Club-driven date changes in the thoroughbred racing code to enhance flow, maximise field quality and protect key regional meetings;
• A strategic shift towards thoroughbred racing in and around the weekend:
  • a notable increase in Friday licences (49, up from 33)
  • More Sunday licences (68, up from 64) including a focus on dual thoroughbred racing Sundays (18, up from 14)
• Increased North Island grass track racing in the harness racing code.
• Many Otago/Southland harness meetings moved from Thursdays to Sundays.
• A pause on racing at Hastings in the 2025-26 season, with the conditional reinstatement of Waipukurau.

The final calendar comprises 1020 licences and 10,216 races — an increase of 24 licences, but a decrease of 77 races) across the 12 months from August 1, 2025.

Tim Gillespie, Chair of the TAB NZ Dates Committee, said as the partnership with Entain Australia and New Zealand enters its third year, the calendar process has provided a chance for the Dates Committee and the codes to build on the progress made in the past 12 months, as well as the scope for further improvements and adjustments.

“We have welcomed the pragmatic and open-minded approach all three codes have brought to this calendar process in recent months,” Tim Gillespie said.

“We’ve had the opportunity to reflect on what was a positive summer thoroughbred racing feature calendar and have also taken steps to amend where we feel appropriate to ensure the growth of New Zealand racing and — in turn — the customer base through TAB and betcha.

“The Committee has appreciated the solutions focus that the three codes have brought to the table, along with their knowledge and understanding of the broadcast and on-course servicing requirements of Entain.

The 1020 meetings in the 2025/26 season will be made up of 308 thoroughbred meetings, 304 harness meetings and 408 greyhound meetings with 10,216 individual races to be run across the three codes.

The full calendar can be found on tabnz.org in the Other Reports section, or by clicking