Blog Articles

If elected, National and ACT will bring back the cruel live export trade

September 1st, 2023

In 2021, the Government announced it would phase out the export of cattle, sheep, deer and goats. On 30 April 2023, live export by sea was officially prohibited in New Zealand. Decades of evidence has indicated that animals suffer in the live export trade. In their review of the live...

Image supplied by Taranaki Animal Save

Foetal Bovine Serum: Your Questions Answered

September 15th, 2022

Behind slaughterhouse doors, mother cows are being killed during pregnancy with the blood from their unborn calves drained to produce foetal bovine serum (FBS). The meat and dairy industries want to grow the market for foetal calf blood to capitalise on its value, and the serum industry claims that FBS...

What’s Wrong with Rodeo in NZ?

July 8th, 2022

I filmed my first rodeo, solo, in 2013. These events were held on beautiful sunny days, with country music playing, relaxed crowds and announcers cracking jokes. I sat up on the bank while kids ran about, hot chips were eaten and people chatted and laughed. Stop right there, and this...

The simple matter of the law: pig welfare and farrowing crates

July 6th, 2022

A potential end to the use of farrowing crates on pig farms has drawn battle lines between farmers and animal advocates. SAFE Chief Executive Debra Ashton explains why the legal and social license to confine pigs in farrowing crates has expired. Our country’s leaders love to talk about animal welfare....

NZALA & SAFE to challenge the legality of Rodeo in NZ

June 2nd, 2022

In 2019, The New Zealand Animals Law Association (NZALA) and SAFE partnered for the first time to seek legal justice for animals in Aotearoa, and we won, with the High Court delivering a damning judgement, ruling that farrowing crates and mating stalls for pigs were unlawful. Now, we are partnering...

Should aquariums be part of New Zealand’s future?

October 8th, 2021

Lockdown has been hard on us all. Not being able to do the things we love can have a detrimental effect on our mental health and wellbeing. Now imagine that your lockdown is forever. For animals trapped in aquariums, this is the sad reality. While they are on display in a tank that is a fraction of the size of...

What is that blob on the beach?

December 20th, 2021

One SAFE staffer recounts the beauty of summer days at the beach and the vast wonder it inspires in her and her tamariki. There is nothing like summer days at the beach in Te Waipounamu (the South Island). Our special spot is a secluded southern bay. Sometimes we’re lucky...

Why I stopped eating fish

December 13th, 2021

I’ve always had an affinity with animals. I must have been around eight years old when my primary school teacher showed the entire school a video of what happens to animals after they leave the farm. That brave teacher got into a lot of trouble for showing us that video,...

Battery vs. Colony Cages: Spot the Difference

August 12th, 2021

(This post contains some distressing images) Scroll down to find out… Sadly, one of these cages will be banned, while the other remains completely legal. On the left is a battery cage which can house three...

True stories from a live export ship

June 28th, 2021

Recently, a brave informant came forward to share haunting stories of their experiences on board a live export ship. Over the last few weeks, we’ve shared their account in ‘True stories from a live export ship’ in our social media. In this blog, you can read the informant’s story and...

No animal should suffer for a social media video

June 23rd, 2021

Animal videos have become hugely popular online. While they may seem innocuous, they can pose a real risk of harm to animals. The latest, a TikTok video showing a person ‘tickling’ a stingray, has gained around 100 million views in just over a week. But the video is far from...

Ten reasons why the ban on live export by sea must be implemented immediately

May 31st, 2021

Two years is too long. In the time it could take to phase out live export by sea, hundreds of thousands more New Zealand animals will potentially have to endure the horror of the live export trade. Following the Government’s announcement on 14 April that live export by sea will...

Exciting news for dogs!

May 14th, 2021

On 16 April, the Government announced a review of greyhound racing in Aotearoa. The announcement came after SAFE, the Greyhound Protection League NZ and Grey2K USA Worldwide brought to light the plight of greyhounds trapped in the racing industry in New Zealand. The review is a great step forward, but will...

Live export by sea – the journey to a ban

May 6th, 2021

On 14 April 2021, the New Zealand Government announced a ban on live cattle export by sea, with a two-year ‘wind down’ period. It took more than a decade of perseverance to get us here. We couldn’t have got to this point without the tremendous support of caring people like...

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The True Cost of Dairy

Right now, throughout Aotearoa, thousands of newborn calves are being taken from their mothers, trucked off in the cold, and killed. Branded as disposable by-products of the dairy industry, they are fragile, voiceless, and deserve so much more.

Your compassion today can create a future where every animal is valued.

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