Sheep are a national icon in Aotearoa New Zealand — and for good reason. They are intelligent, social, and emotionally complex animals who form strong relationships within their flocks and have impressive learning abilities and memories. Sheep can recognize faces, solve problems, and develop deep social bonds, challenging the unfair stereotypes often placed on them. Like all sentient beings, sheep deserve respect, kindness, and the right to live free from suffering — not because they serve a purpose for humans, but because they are individuals with their own lives, not commodities to be used.
In 2024, New Zealand farmed approximately 23.6 million sheep for meat and wool production. An additional 30,000 sheep were farmed for their milk. Like dairy cows and all animals farmed for their milk, these sheep have their lambs taken away shortly after birth, so their milk can be harvested for human consumption. Farmed sheep, like all exploited animals, live only a fraction of their natural lifespan. Of the total number farmed, over 18 million sheep slaughtered in 2024 were lambs.
Every year, millions of vulnerable and defenseless lambs die across New Zealand because those responsible for their care fail to provide even the most basic legal requirements. Shockingly, up to 25% of lambs born in Aotearoa die shortly after birth — many from preventable causes such as exposure to the cold or starvation.
According to the Animal Welfare Act, animals are legally entitled to sufficient food and adequate shelter. But these protections are rarely enforced within the sheep industry. As a result, mass deaths of lambs continue year after year — not by accident, but because the government allows the sheep industry’s consistent and systemic neglect to go unchecked.
Painful procedures like tail docking and castration are routine in New Zealand’s sheep and wool industry. Every year, millions of lambs are subjected to terrifying and painful mutilations — most notably ‘tail docking’, where their tails are cut off without any pain relief. Male lambs are also routinely castrated. Despite these procedures causing significant suffering, New Zealand’s codes of welfare undermine the Animal Welfare Act 1999 by allowing these practices without mandatory pain relief for animals under six months of age.
Across Aotearoa, sheep are routinely forced to endure harsh and inhumane living conditions. They are farmed in muddy paddocks, made to give birth during the freezing winter months, and left exposed to bitter winter weather conditions without access to shelter. In summer, they are often confined to treeless paddocks with no access to shade, unable to escape the scorching heat of the Kiwi sun. Despite being legally entitled to adequate shelter, millions of sheep suffer year-round from weather extremes, a form of neglect that remains largely ignored by industry and government alike.
Sheep farmed for their wool often endure rough handling, injuries, fear, and distress during shearing. A nationwide investigation conducted in 2024 uncovered widespread, systemic violence in shearing sheds across Aotearoa. The investigation revealed that this abuse was not limited to a few rogue operators; it was endemic throughout the industry. Sheep were beaten, strangled, thrown to the ground, cut, and violently mishandled. In some cases, shearers were seen stomping on sheep’s throats and punching them in the face. This level of cruelty, observed across the country, exposes a deep and disturbing pattern of mistreatment in New Zealand’s wool industry.
Every major step forward for animals in Aotearoa has one thing in common — people like you.
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