Auckland Trotting Club’s AGM extremely positive

Harness racing’s Auckland Trotting Club’s first ever AGM under Covid Level restrictions went very well on Wednesday 15 December 2021.

Despite the various Covid requirements, all the attending members were able to gather in one place and hear the Board deal with a number of pressing issues for the membership.  The evening took over 3.5 hours to conclude, with presentations from the President, the CEO, the Chair of Finance, the Legal Director and the Head of the Board Racing Sub-Committee, all welcomed by the members.

Some of the key points raised across the evening included:

• The underlying success of the Club in a difficult Covid environment, including another net positive year for the ordinary business operations of the ATC
• A summary of the outsourcing of Club catering, noting that two business models had been employed and that the final model is an outsourced but on-site catering partner – FERNZ Catering.
• A detailed analysis of the Greenlane Road property sale.  This made clear that the transaction had been appropriately and openly canvassed at the last AGM, that it had majority support from the member committee, and that it was the subject of significant legal work and protections in favour of the Club.  It was also subject to a market valuation and a series of encumbrances that supported the ongoing business of the Club – many of these protections had taken months to negotiate and in the end, had delivered a set of arrangements kept the ATC development vision without taking developer risk.
• A complete timeline, costing and range of outcomes for the legal matters arising from the Building Developments.  While the detail of this remains confidential to the members, a clear and calculated pathway was set out by the Board which made obvious the reasons for taking the position the Club had taken, the success of that, and the likely costs and awards that will be in favour of the ATC.  Once the full and factual position was set out, it was well received by the members.
• A breakdown of the costs and incidentals associated with the Building Developments themselves.  A detailed review of the costs and the provisions for those costs saw the members see into the various parts of the developments that had not worked.  The mistakes of the past had been responded to and the opportunity to recover some of those costs was also made clear.  The members appreciated the significant work done on their behalf and wished to be kept informed about progress into the future – which the Board was happy to support.

Overall, the night was one where the Board set out the facts and the figures behind the Club’s challenges and their plans to respond to them.  There was a recognition that the ATC had weathered a significant period in it’s history and that it was now beginning to recover and could once again begin to focus on the future and support harness racing in the North.

There was a general discussion on the current state of Harness Racing in the North, with the Board open to a number of ideas to help reinvigorate and renew the grass roots industry.  Everybody recognised and supported the need for Pukekohe and ongoing training environments, as well as the need to eventually relocate into an area less impacted by our activity.  This balanced approach will also need to include a wider discussion with other clubs and HRNZ, but the Club and the members agreed that it was time to look closely into these issues.  We will look forward to seeing what comes of this in the short term.

Finally, the Board election was announced, and won by current President Mr Rod Croon.  Both Mr Croon and Mr Myles spoke in thanks of their supporters and wished the Club success into the future.

Overall, the ATC AGM was a meeting intended to put all the issues ‘on the table’ so the members could see what had been happening and how the Board had decided to meet those challenges.

While there had been some mixed feelings going into the meeting, and much ‘noise’ about various issues, once the facts and figures were out there most of this simply came to an end.

The meeting finished by asking for further updates and commending the members for their efforts.  This reflects the simple truth that the Club is working hard on resolving it’s issues, maintaining it’s decision-making independence, and moving towards a future that supports improved focus and success for Harness Racing in our area and in our community.

Alexandra Park / Auckland Trotting Club

Harnesslink Media