About Us
Meet the team behind Kiwikiwi Hounds
Kiwikiwi Hounds Adoption launched in 2000, we are a small team that rehomes greyhounds entirely voluntarily. Our aim is to help retired racing greyhounds find loving pet homes at the end of their racing careers and to promote them as wonderful family pets.
We enjoy a close working relationship with Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) and the Great Mates Rehoming Programme.
To date Kiwikiwi Hounds have placed over 65 dogs in loving family homes, we enjoy meeting up with our families dogs at events / walks post adoption and developing an awesome greyhound community!
Karen Wicks
Programme Director
Karen has been involved with greyhounds since 2013, when she fostered her first retired racer.
Since then, she has adopted three greyhounds and fostered many more.
Karen has been a volunteer with a greyhound rehoming charity as well as working under contract, organising and running events and fund raising.
Karen is passionate about all aspects of greyhounds and can talk endlessly about them! She enjoys her friendships with adopters, trainers and the Great Mates Rangiora operators.
Karen moved from England in 2011 and lives with her husband and 2 adopted greyhounds, Tex and Jazz in Oxford, Canterbury in their 1900 villa on a 1/4-acre section – living the dream!
Jo Hardie
Rehoming Coordinator
Jo and family adopted their first greyhound Sid 6 years ago, then Scarlet joined the family 3 years later.
In the meantime, her family has fostered greyhounds to start to teach them about pet life and introduce them to things like dishwashers and vacuums!
Jo also works at part time as a kennel steward and also enjoys helping trainers handle their dogs on race day.
Chrissie Wrigley
Foster Coordinator
We have known Chrissie for years, she has been a fantastic support, often taking a foster in at short notice, always smiling and willing to lend a hand. Her knowledge of the greyhounds is fantastic, and Chrissie’s ‘Display Model’ hound is Sally (Idol Georgie), make no mistake Sally is amazing at showing the new fosters how to ‘pet’. Sadly, Sally crossed the bridge last year and young Atlas (Book of Maps) has recently joined the family. If you have a greyhound that has been fostered by Chrissie and her family, you’re lucky, she gave them an amazing introduction to pet life.
We’re excited to welcome Chrissie and family to the team and wish to thank her again for joining us.