A sense of the inevitable has shrouded the Hatrick Raceway this week as the Whanganui Greyhound Racing Club prepared for its last ever meeting on Friday evening.

In April, Racing Minister Winston Peters announced the Racing Industry Amendment Bill passed its third and final reading with "overwhelming" cross-party support.

"This action wasn't taken lightly, but independent reviews in 2013, 2017 and 2021 provided clear evidence of serious animal welfare concerns."

Peters said while improvements were made, those gains plateaued and injury/death rates remained unacceptably high to the point the sport had lost its social licence.

Owners from around the country gathered at Hatrick Raceway earlier this week for the club's final straight-track meeting.

Whanganui Greyhound Racing Club president, John McArthur, said he'd been in the sport for 50 years.

It was part of his DNA.

"I just love the fact that the common man - don't forget that the common man - can afford to own a greyhound and take it to the races, look after it and care for it.

"It's not the landed gentry of racehorses. We are the common people and we know that. It's one of the reasons we are in the position we are."

McArthur didn't shy away from the fact dogs sometimes got injured.

He reckoned about nine dogs had been euthanised nationwide this season across hundreds of meetings.

That number climbed to 10 on Tuesday with the death of five-year-old Tiger Jane who fell at Addington Raceway fracturing her left humerus.

McArthur took RNZ through the Hatrick Raceway kennels where the dogs were prepared for racing.

"The dogs come in and they go here where they are identified by the chip in the dog. They are then weighed and they then go up here on to the examination table where the vet examines them.

"He does a full examination of the dogs and if they've come through the veterinary inspection they are then kennelled in their own separate kennel."

When it comes time to race, the dogs were walked out to the straight-track - installed two years ago in the centre of the Whanganui Racecourse at a cost of $3 million - in response to welfare concerns.

The greyhounds are placed in start boxes and then they're off.

The race is over in a matter of seconds ... but Clevedon trainer Peter Heterick loves it nevertheless.

"Aw mate, it's just, yeah, my passion. I love it. You know, dogs they bring something to you that, you know, horses don't.

"They just love being around you, they're kind. They're just beautiful animals."

He was gutted racing was being shut down.

"Aw devastated, yeah, it's just crazy, honestly."

Heterick would be keeping his dogs.

"I'm gonna stay at home and look after them.

"A transition agency take over, but you've still got to look after your dogs, you've got to get up in the morning and take them for a walk, feed them and everything.

"You know, nothings going to change you're just not racing."

Heterick reckons retired greyhounds would make great pets.

"Oh, they will, they will, especially this one here, but she's coming with me."

In a statement, SPCA chief scientific officer Dr Arnja Dale said the greyhound racing ban was necessary after years of welfare concerns and repeated but unsuccessful attempts to improve safety.

"This is a historic day for animal welfare. It's the beginning of a new chapter where greyhounds can simply be loved as family pets."

Dale said the rehoming challenge for the remaining 1300 greyhounds was significant but achievable.

"The racing is ending, but the work certainly isn't. Our focus now is providing support to the Greyhound Transition Agency to help greyhounds find the loving homes they deserve."

Waikato owner Michael Schneider had come south for the Hatrick Raceway meet.

He got into racing through adopting a retired greyhound.

"I would go there on Saturday mornings and help them train their dogs and slip them up their straight-track and took our old boy - well he wasn't that old at that time - and just let him run for exercise and just seeing how much they loved it.

"I love the whole idea of animals that have a job to do, but also really love their job."

He had plans for his dogs.

"They're all coming home with us. We've actually bought a property specifically for that. We're setting up a big track for them. Setting up kennels, but they'll probably all end up in the house anyway.

"So, we've got mum and one of the pups at home at the moment and we've got another three coming to retire with us."

Schneider said the prospect of no more racing was 'just gut-wrenching really".

Meanwhile, tough decisions lay ahead for McArthur who had 18 dogs.

"I've got a lot of dogs here that are too old to go into an adoption systems, so I guess I've got virtually no option.

"I'm a superannuitant, I don't have huge pockets loads of cash, so I suppose I will have to make the decision to do something with them, but that's down the track and I'll face that when I have to."

Hatrick Raceway's last circular track meeting was on Friday night.