Media releases

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

A series of power cuts resulted in the deaths of 180,000 chickens in November 2019 at a West Auckland broiler chicken farm owned by DB Chicks Limited. The New Zealand Herald has revealed an alarm system failed to alert the farm manager of power outages because an internet router lacked...

Advisory: Gareth Hughes becomes Chair of SAFE’s Board of Directors Source: SAFE For Animals — Former Green Party MP Gareth Hughes was voted in as Chair of SAFE’s Board of Directors following the charity’s AGM last week. “SAFE has been a strong voice for animals and our recent legal victory...

Overnight at the COP26 climate summit, the United States and European Union announced a global partnership to cut emissions of methane by 2030. New Zealand is one of more than 100 countries that have signed up to the Global Methane Pledge, which aims to limit methane emissions by 30% compared...

SAFE has published an open letter this morning in the Dominion Post, calling on Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor to announce a ban on colony cages. Over 250 New Zealand veterinary professionals have put their name to the letter, warning the Minister that colony cages do not meet the welfare needs...

In regards to the previous media release distributed by SAFE, we have been alerted to the fact that the greyhound races held yesterday in Whanganui were at Manawatu Raceway, not Hatrick Raceway. Please disregard today’s statement regarding Hatrick Raceway. Read more