An Aotearoa that cares for all animals

The Green Party will protect animals from cruelty and suffering.

Animals deserve a life free from suffering. Harmful practices that put profit ahead of their welfare are unacceptable.

Thousands of farmed animals are suffering unnecessarily because the standards that are meant to protect their safety, instead allow cruel and harmful practices to continue. Powerful corporations also continue to push for animal welfare protections to be delayed or abandoned.

The Green Party has championed animal welfare for decades. Over the last three years we have been the leading voice in Parliament on issues like winter grazing and greyhound racing. We’ve also successfully pressured the Government to phase out live animal exports. The time is now to make Aotearoa a place where all animals are treated with the care and respect they deserve.

Our plan will strengthen Aotearoa’s animal welfare standards and create a new, well-resourced Parliamentary Commissioner for Animals to monitor and enforce these. We will also outlaw harmful activities such as greyhound racing and rodeo, factory farming, and farrowing crates. Whether they are our daily companions or living on a farm, only the Greens will ensure every animal can live a happy, comfortable life.

Our plan

  • Create a new Commissioner for Animals, to independently monitor and advocate for animal rights.
  • Resource the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC) to ensure all animal welfare codes genuinely comply with the Animal Welfare Act 1999, together with introducing stronger codes for farmed animals.
  • Phase out harmful activities including animal testing for cosmetics, greyhound racing, debeaking hens, factory farming and farrowing crates.
  • Ensure only animal products that comply with domestic standards can be imported, and ensure consist, robust standards for manufacturing claims about animal welfare (such as ‘free range’ and ‘cruelty free’).
  • Ensure taonga species can thrive in their natural habitats, with an immediate priority of banning the live export of tuna.

You can find our full manifesto here