The death of Peter Burns has saddened the harness racing industry New Zealand-wide. Burns, who was secretary for most of Southland's harness racing clubs, held administrative roles from 1970 to 2005. "Peter was an influential figure in Southland harness racing and pioneered the strong position Southland harness finds itself in today." During his decades in the racing industry, Burns saw the introduction of all-weather grit tracks, running rails being replaced by safety pylons and different types of betting as technology advanced. Southern Harness Racing general manager Jason Broad says his knowledge of the industry grew rapidly during the 12 years he worked for Burns.

Source: Stuff October 06, 2019 01:07 UTC