Winston Peters says New Zealand's racing industry needs to get its "mojo" back.
The Minister for Racing was speaking at Auckland's Ellerslie Racecourse, where a revised summer calendar was announced.
The TAB and NZ Thoroughbred Racing unveiled five new events funded by the TAB that will bring the prize pool up to $23.8 million dollars next summer, up from $14.8 million dollars for the last season.
NZ Herald racing writer Michael Guerin spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.