Media releases

In the first episode of TV series ‘Meat the Family,’ which aired on TVNZ 1 last night, a family was given three chickens to raise as ‘pets’ over a three-week period. At the end of this time they were then faced with the decision whether to kill and eat the...

The livestock carrier Dareen is due to collect approximately 7,300 cows from Napier tomorrow, following the Yangtze Harmony which collected a consignment of cows from Port Taranaki yesterday. The ships arrive in the wake of an investigation launched by Australian Federal agencies into the inhumane slaughter of Australian cattle in...

The Governance and Administration Select Committee has failed to protect animals by recommending no limitations on the sale of fireworks to the public in a recent report. The report was issued in response to three separate petitions, all of which asked for public sales of fireworks to be banned. Read...

This week, Taranaki locals stumbled across a pit full of dead dairy calves, dumped on public land nearby a waterway. Graphic images of the scene were shared with SAFE. SAFE CEO Debra Ashton says the horrific images are the reality of the dairy industry. Read more

The Green Party has put animals on the political agenda for this election with the announcement of their animal welfare policy at their election campaign launch today. The policy includes a promise to establish a Minister and Parliamentary Commissioner for Animal Welfare. Read more

SAFE’s Political Panel for Animals 2020 is now available to watch on YouTube. The Panel hosted last night in Wellington and included Hon Damien O’Connor, MP (Labour), Hon David Bennett, MP (National), Gareth Hughes, MP (Greens) and Mark Patterson, MP (NZ First). Read more

Last night at SAFE’s ‘Political Panel for Animals’, Green MP Gareth Hughes gave a sneak peek of his party’s upcoming animal welfare policy. It will include a ban on factory farming. SAFE CEO Debra Ashton says this is a massive step forward for animals. Read more

The Egg Producers Federation’s voluntary ‘Trace My Egg’ programme, which claims to reduce the fraudulent labelling of eggs, will not prevent egg producers and suppliers from misleading customers. SAFE Corporate Campaigns Coordinator Jessica Chambers said ‘Trace My Egg’ is a strictly voluntary, high trust system that should be taken with...

On Friday, animal rights activists from all around the country, representing various New Zealand Animal Save Movement chapters, as well as guests from SAFE New Zealand and Direct Action Everywhere New Zealand, will be protesting the Canadian High Commission in Wellington, demanding accountability for the death of Animal Save activist...

With only two months left until the general election, SAFE has convened a political panel to discuss the most pertinent issues facing animals in Aotearoa New Zealand today. The panellists will include Hon Damien O’Connor, MP (Labour), Hon David Bennett, MP (National), Gareth Hughes, MP (Greens) and Mark Patterson, MP...

In an article published last week in Farmers Weekly, Australian live animal export company Austrex NZ advocated for the export of four-day old calves as an alternative to being ‘tapped on the head,’ referring to the use of a blunt force trauma. SAFE Campaigns Manager Marianne Macdonald said the export...

SAFE CEO Debra Ashton says “The NZDIA has done the right thing, and we’re glad to see Bertram has been held to account over his actions. He should take this as an opportunity to right his wrongs and show that he takes animal welfare seriously.” “However, the award organisers should...

Organisers of the NZ Dairy Industry Awards are investigating unsavoury social media comments allegedly made by the newly crowned 2020 Share Farmer of the Year, Nick Bertram. In a statement the NZDIA Trust chair Natasha Tere says they have been made aware of “historical comments” made by Bertram. Read more

In 2017, Nick Bertram posted on Twitter a series of profanity-laden Tweets describing the cruel and illegal methods he uses to handle his cows, which he called ‘bitches.’ Bertram won the ‘Share Farmer of the Year’ award at the 2020 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) on Saturday. Read more