News

For the first episode of 2021, Will Appelbe recaps the most recent current affairs from the last four weeks.

The Ministry of Health has for the first time acknowledged the correlation between sustainable diets and the climate emergency. The Ministry’s new eating guidelines say there is an urgent need to promote diets that are healthy and have low environmental impacts. Read more

Eight greyhounds have been euthanised since December 18 after sustaining racing injuries. This includes five in Whanganui at what animal rights organisation SAFE is calling a ‘death track’. SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe is calling on the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) to immediately close the Whanganui track for an investigation....

The Canterbury rodeo is part of the annual rodeo season, which last season saw two animals killed at rodeo events. Both animals died at the Mad Bull rodeo in Otago. SAFE spokesperson Will Appelbe said rodeo events cause pain, fear and distress to animals. Read more

Live export ship Dareen is expected to arrive at Napier Port this week to export a consignment of cows. This is the eighth livestock vessel to arrive at the Port this year. The cows are being exported for breeding purposes but will eventually be slaughtered in their destination country. Read...

Live export ship Yangtze Harmony is expected to arrive at Port Taranaki this week to export a consignment of cows. This is the seventh livestock vessel to arrive at the Port this year. The cows are being exported for breeding purposes but will eventually be slaughtered in their destination country....

Today SAFE and the New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) have published a full-page open letter in the New Zealand Herald, calling on the Prime Minister to appoint a Commissioner for Animals. In June 2020, SAFE and NZALA made legal history for mother pigs. For the first time in New...

Last month the High Court found that the Minister of Agriculture Damien O’Connor, on the advice of the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), had acted unlawfully by not phasing out the use of farrowing crates and mating stalls. Now that the Government has accepted the Court’s decision, SAFE and...

Worldwide, 6.5 billion day-old male chicks are killed each year because the egg industry considers them to be unwanted by-products of egg production. This is because male chickens cannot lay eggs and are not suitable to be raised for meat. Last week, the trade association representing the largest egg producers...

This Saturday, so-called ‘cowboys’ will put animals at risk of injury or death at the ‘Mad Bull’ rodeo in Otago and the WFL Bull Ride Martinborough. Two bulls were killed at the Mad Bull rodeo last year, and another was killed at the Martinborough bull ride in 2018. Read more

Summer means barbeque season! If you’re new to plant-based eating, a barbeque invitation can be a little daunting ‒ but it doesn’t have to be. You just need the know-how. That’s where we can help. Barbeques and Christmas celebrations can be the perfect time to put on a plant-based extravaganza,...

Five dogs in five weeks. That’s how many greyhounds have been killed recently by the Greyhound racing industry. The industry is facing increased scrutiny, and the SPCA have stepped into the ring. And it’s been twelve months since a catastrophe took pl

Last year, the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) embarked on a review of the live export industry, the outcome of which could be a ban on the trade. Despite this, MPI is currently advertising for a manager to look after live animal exports. The ministry says this is a team...

A group of lawyers has stepped up to ensure the rule of law prevails in two cases of animal cruelty that are both legal firsts in Aotearoa. New Zealand’s first rodeo prosecution The New Zealand Animal Law Association (NZALA) successfully took a private prosecution against Northland farmer Derek Robinson in...