{"id":777022606,"date":"2025-02-05T09:57:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T12:57:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/?p=777022606"},"modified":"2026-04-22T02:07:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-22T05:07:25","slug":"new-zealand-thoroughbred-racing-names-matt-ballesty-as-ceo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/new-zealand-thoroughbred-racing-names-matt-ballesty-as-ceo","title":{"rendered":"New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing names Matt Ballesty as CEO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ballesty will assume the role on March 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

New Zealand.- New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR)<\/strong>, the governing body for thoroughbred horse racing in New Zealand, has announced the appointment of Matt Ballesty<\/strong> as CEO. He will take up the role on March 5.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ballesty is a dual citizen of New Zealand and Australia and has occupied several senior executive positions internationally in Australia, Macau, and Canada. He studied at the New Zealand Institute of Directors and served as a board member for Heart of the City Auckland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ballesty said: “I\u2019ve been passionate about racing for a long time as both an enthusiast and an owner and I can\u2019t wait to get stuck into the hard work of further developing thoroughbred racing in New Zealand. The success of the racing industry has always been built on the hard work done at a grassroots level by generations of Kiwis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat excites me most is the opportunity to meet the people around the country who contribute to making the racing industry what it is today. Everyone from the breeders, trainers, owners and jockeys, right through to the clubs, play a critical role in creating a vibrant community and sport that continues to excel on the global stage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
NZTR chair Russell Warwick and newly appointed CEO Matt Ballesty. Source: NZTR.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

NZTR chair Russell Warwick <\/strong>commented: “The racing industry is going through a period of significant change and Matt is the perfect candidate to ensure that every person contributing to the industry continues to play a key role in the future. This appointment is about securing the legacy of the racing industry in the long term. We could not be happier to have someone of Matt\u2019s calibre holding the reins at this critical point.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See also: <\/strong>Under-18s to be restricted from buying lotto tickets in New Zealand<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dean Shannon<\/strong>, the chief executive for Entain Australia and New Zealand, a key strategic partner for NZTR, also welcomed the arrival of Ballesty. He said: “Matt is a genuinely good human who\u2019s fully committed to ensuring that the racing industry reaches its full potential in New Zealand. We can\u2019t wait to see what he brings to the table in the coming years.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See also:<\/strong> New Zealand plans public consultation on GST reform for thoroughbred breeders<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ballesty will assume the role on March 5.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":176,"featured_media":777029785,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"is_press_release":false,"is_interview":false,"is_opinion":false,"focusai_summary":"New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing (NZTR), the governing body for thoroughbred horse racing in New Zealand, has appointed Matt Ballesty as its new CEO, effective March 5. Ballesty, with prior international executive experience, is tasked with navigating a period of significant industry change and further developing the racing vertical. This appointment is welcomed by key strategic partners like Entain Australia and New Zealand.","focusai_entities":"New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing, NZTR, Matt Ballesty, Heart of the City Auckland, Russell Warwick, Dean Shannon, Entain Australia and New Zealand, New Zealand Institute of Directors","focusai_location":"New Zealand, Australia, Macau, Canada, Auckland","focusai_target_profile":"ceo_executive (0.9), regulator (0.9), compliance_legal (0.7), operator_casino (0.9), investor_analyst (0.8), supplier_vendor (0.8), journalist_researcher (0.9)","focusai_suggestions":[{"label":"NZTR Strategic Priorities?","query":"What are Matt Ballesty's immediate strategic priorities for NZTR, particularly concerning regulatory frameworks, industry growth initiatives, and the long-term sustainability of thoroughbred racing in New Zealand?"},{"label":"Impact on Entain Partnership?","query":"How will this leadership change at NZTR impact the existing strategic partnership with Entain Australia and New Zealand, especially regarding future commercial agreements or operational synergies within the racing vertical?"}],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16336,155],"tags":[24609],"class_list":["post-777022606","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-australasia-news","category-sports-betting-news","tag-new-zealand-thoroughbred-racing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777022606","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/176"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777022606"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777022606\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":777022624,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777022606\/revisions\/777022624"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777029785"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777022606"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777022606"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusgn.com\/asia-pacific\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777022606"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}