Media releases

SAFE launches a petition calling for a Commissioner for Animals The petition is supported by leading animal organisations New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA), Helping You Help Animals (HUHA) and the New Zealand Anti-vivisection Society (NZAVS). Read more

SAFE will join protestors around the country on Saturday 30 April 2022, who are rallying together from midday to demonstrate their opposition to live export by sea. As part of a ‘National Day of Action,’ independently organised protests will be held across multiple locations in Aotearoa including Wellington, Auckland, Dunedin,...

Yesterday at Addington raceway, the greyhound Gary collided with other dogs and tumbled shortly after reaching the lure, having just crossed the finish line. He was trampled by four other dogs, which caused a catastrophic injury to his right front leg. Read more

NZ sacrificed action on climate in favour of agriculture in IPCC report Source: SAFE For Animals — Aotearoa Government officials successfully scrubbed ‘plant-based’ diets from the highly influential ‘summary for policymakers’ version of the latest IPCC report, and lobbied for switching the language to ‘healthy sustainable diets’. Read more

An urgent transition away from animal agriculture is needed, in light of IPCC report Source: SAFE For Animals — The latest report from the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released overnight shows that global emissions are now on track to exceed the Paris Agreement’s 1.5 degrees celsius warning...

On Friday at Manawatu Raceway, ‘Have A Yak’ was euthanised after falling and suffering a compound fracture. Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) edited out the fall from the race video, which was published online and linked to GRNZ’s race reports. Have A Yak was falling behind in third place before...

SAFE is asking New Zealanders to consider the dairy industry from a new perspective – her perspective. It’s common practice for the dairy industry to raise female cows for five to six years before sending them to slaughter. During this time, mother cows endure a cycle of pregnancy, birth, separation,...

The live export ship Anna Marra is expected to arrive at Napier Port this week. Under its previous name Awassi Express, this ship was implicated in a live export disaster en route to the Middle East in August 2017. Nearly 64,000 sheep suffered from heat stress on the ship, killing...

A video has emerged online showing an equestrian event rider repeatedly kicking and hitting their horse, according to reports from the Otago Daily Times this morning. The incident occurred at the North Otago A&P Show on Friday in Oamaru. SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said the rider’s actions were disgraceful. Read...

Government backflip on live export a growing concern Source: SAFE For Animals — SAFE is concerned the Government may do a U-turn on its decision to ban the live export of animals by sea. The ban is due to take effect on 30 April 2023. Newsroom reported last week that...

Millions of hens will continue to suffer when battery cages are banned Source: SAFE For Animals — From 1 January 2023, battery cages will be illegal in Aotearoa. However, colony cages, which also breach the Animal Welfare Act 1999, will remain legal. Colony cages severely restrict the ability for hens...

The Al Kuwait, one of the world’s largest live export ships, is expected in Timaru this weekend, only five weeks since it last exported over 10 thousand cows from the South Canterbury port. Timaru locals are planning to protest the ship’s arrival this Sunday at midday. Read more

SAFE is asking the Minister for the Environment David Parker to support the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) resolution on “Animal welfare – Environment – Sustainable Development Nexus”. In a letter to the Minister, SAFE outlined the need for the Government to get behind a proposed resolution submitted by the...

Greyhound Racing New Zealand’s (GRNZ) latest annual report shows that 232 dogs were killed during the 2020/21 season. This includes 18 puppies, bred specifically for racing, who never raced and reportedly died or were euthanised. The report also states 900 dogs in total were injured on racetracks. Read more