Media releases

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

Northland sharemilker Mike Luke who was filmed repeatedly and violently bashing his cows was sentenced in the Whangārei District Court today and fined $3,130. The footage was taken by Farmwatch after complaints from farm workers were ignored by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Read more

Colorado’s cage ban will free six million hens from a lifetime of confinement in cages. The State’s Governor signed the bill into law yesterday. Colorado joins Washington, Oregon, Michigan and California as the fifth state in the United States to ban cages. Read more

Earlier this week, researchers in China revealed they had found a new strain of H1N1 swine flu which they say has “all the essential hallmarks of a candidate pandemic virus.” New Zealand’s Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said this morning that discovering new viruses isn’t “uncommon,” and that we...

New measures announced yesterday by Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage and Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash will not bring the critically endangered Māui dolphin back from the brink, according to animal rights organisation SAFE. SAFE Campaigns Director Ilan Goldberg said the measures do not go far enough. Read more