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  1. 21h ago

    The Last Race and Uncertain Future of the Avondale Racecourse : 21 July, 2026

    Since the establishment of the Avondale Jockey Club in 1889, the Avondale Racecourse has been one of Auckland’s major thoroughbred racing tracks and central part of life in West Auckland, and currently also the site of numerous sports fields and the Avondale Sunday Market which sees thousands gather each week to buy fresh produce.  Amid internal racing politics and with only a few races allocated by New Zealand racing to the jockey club for the 2025/2026 race season, the 15th July meeting was seen by many as not only the last race of the season but potentially the last race at Avondale.  Many are concerned that if racing ends, the racecourse will be sold off to developers and Avondale will lose 35 hectares of community greenspace. The Avondale Racecourse Alliance is one group which seeks to see the land retained for the community and has produced a People's Plan outlining their proposals.  I decided to spend a day at the races, and spoke to various local residents and racing enthusiasts to understand how people felt about this historic moment. I also spoke to local historian Lisa Truttman, the Avondale Racecourse Alliance President Jaclyn Bonnici and Avondale Jockey Club President Andrew Skinner, to try understand how significant this moment is for Avondale, what the future might look like for the racecourse.  If you, or anyone you know, have any stories or connections to this place, feel free to contact historian Lisa Truttman, who is currently working on a book on the history of the Avondale Racecourse, at historian@avondale.org.nz.

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