Media releases

The Racing Integrity Board’s (RIB) damning reports, released today by Racing Minister Kieran McAnulty, show the greyhound racing industry can’t continue. Two reports, delivered to the Minister in December 2022 and March 2023, highlight increasing injury rates, an unsustainable rehoming system, and slow responses to track safety concerns, and states,...

The duck shooting season, which begins on Saturday 6 May this year, means countless birds, including natives like pūkeko, kakīānau (black swan), pūtangitangi (paradise shelduck), pārera (grey duck) and kuruwhengi (Australasian shoveler duck), will be killed. Read more

Live export by sea will be finally banned this weekend, on 30 April 2023. The milestone will be marked with celebratory events across the country. The decision was backed by Kiwis with over 30,000 people signing SAFE’s petition and over 57,000 emails sent to the Prime Minster calling for a...

Animal rights organization SAFE is renewing its calls for a Commissioner for Animals, following the pitiful sentence for a Canterbury farmer whose animals suffered under their watch. Lisa-Jane Claire Miller was sentenced to seven months of home detention and ordered to pay costs of $3,975 after 610 of their 687...

Newsroom has reported this morning that a decision on whether greyhound racing will be banned won’t be made until after the election. In 2020, the Government gave the greyhound racing industry 18 months to make improvements or risk closure. Racing Minister Kieran McAnulty told New Zealand there would be only...

Disturbing footage has emerged showing thousands of cattle living in mud, due to be loaded onto a live export ship this week. The cattle are in pre-export quarantine near Pleasant Point, which is little more than a mud farm. The cattle will be the last to leave Timaru port before...

Animal rights organisation SAFE is calling on competition organisers to cancel the “most feral cats hunted” category of their annual fundraiser for Rotherham School and Community Pool. Stuff reported this morning that a sponsor has pulled their support from the North Canterbury Hunting Competition in protest of the junior category....

SAFE is alarmed that glue traps to catch rodents are making their way into Aotearoa despite being illegal. This week, Kogan.com, which operates online marketplaces including Dick Smith and Matt Blatt, pulled illegal glue traps from its websites after being contacted by animal rights organisation SAFE. Read more

Animal rights organisation SAFE is again calling for the greyhound racing industry to be closed after a dog was killed last Thursday. Thrilling Nora suffered severe injuries during a re-qualifying trial in Waikato. She was found to have suffered a leg fracture and was euthanised. Read more

Animal rights organisation SAFE will deliver their 34,000 signature-strong petition to Parliament on Wednesday 29 March to Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare), Meka Whaitiri, calling for an end to the caging of all hens across New Zealand. Read more

A man whom SAFE understands is a greyhound racing trainer has been prosecuted for failing to ensure a greyhound received treatment alleviating any pain or distress. The greyhound had a catastrophic injury that went untreated for years. The greyhound’s leg had been without function for so long that the bone...

Advisory: Petition to free hens from cages heading to Parliament on Wednesday 29 March Source: SAFE For Animals — Animal rights organisation SAFE will deliver their 33,000 signature-strong petition to Parliament at 1pm on Wednesday 29 March 2023 to Associate Minister of Agriculture Hon Meka Whaitiri, calling for an end...

SAFE is again urging the Government to ban greyhound racing sooner rather than later, following a raft of severe injures in Christchurch yesterday. Sugar rose suffered a severe tail injury yesterday at Addington raceway. Her tail was partially amputated after the race and will be fully amputated this week. Read...

Animal rights organisation SAFE will deliver their 33,000 signature-strong petition to Parliament at 1pm on Wednesday 29 March 2023 to Associate Minister of Agriculture Hon Meka Whaitiri, calling for an end to the caging of hens across New Zealand. The petition seeks to ban the use of colony cages. Read...