About Us

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The first race meeting at Addington was held on Monday 6 November 1899.  The racecourse was then approximately 36 acres and was leased from the Charitable Aid Board.  It wasn’t until 1980 that the lease was purchased by the New Zealand Metropolitan Trotting Club Inc. (NZMTC) and since then land area has grown to what is now 65 acres (26.44 hectares) owned by the Club.

The NZMTC is a membership based organisation which operates the premier venue for Harness Racing in New Zealand.  It is governed by a member elected board consisting of a Chairman, Deputy Chairman and six other directors.  The CEO reports to the board.

The Club has an annual turnover of over $20M and an asset base of $90M, employs nearly 800 staff (at its peak during Cup Week in November) and the business focuses and concentrates on Harness Racing, Events, Function and Venue Management and Property Development.  In October 2013 they opened an on-site bar and bistro “Spectators” on the premises that operates seven days a week.

The Clubs principal race, the Christchurch Casino New Zealand Trotting Cup was introduced in 1904 when it was won by Monte Carlo in a time of 4 minutes 44 3/5 seconds for the two miles.  The current race, New Zealand and world record is held by Lazarus who won the Cup in 2016 in a time of 3 minutes 53.1 seconds for the 3200 metres (formerly two miles).  From 2011 to 2013 the Cup was won by champion Canterbury pacer Terror To Love who joined Idianapolis (1934-36) and False Step (1958-60) as the only three time winners of the race.  Champion Mid Canterbury reinsman Ricky May has won the Cup a record seven times.

These days the NZMTC conducts 39 race meetings a season at Addington with two meetings held by guest clubs – Cheviot (March) and Timaru (April) Clubs.  Nine of the meetings staged by the NZMTC are Premier Meetings held throughout February, March, April, May, October and November (Cup and Show Day).

 

Our Mission

To be New Zealand’s leading multipurpose racing and events venue, focused on delivering an exceptional entertainment experience in a safe and vibrant environment, whilst providing strong sustainable returns to stakeholders from a diversified commercial platform.

 

OUR Values

 Excellence  To always strive for the ultimate result
 Engagement  With customers, members, stakeholders and within the team
 Innovation  Be prepared to seek and embrace change
 Integrity  In all we do
 Safety  To provide a safe workplace and venue for staff, patrons and stakeholders