Animal Welfare | Policy & Positions
- VAWA
- Jul 15, 2022
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 6
Policy | Animal Welfare
Animals are sentient, have intrinsic value, and their welfare matters. In its 2015 amendment, Aoteaora New Zealand's Animal Welfare Act 1999 acknowledged the sentience of animals:
Contemporary animal welfare thinking means enabling our animals to have positive animal welfare outcomes, rather than just minimising their suffering. Positive welfare can be experienced by an animal when it has opportunities to engage in activities it finds rewarding. These opportunities can be enhanced by appropriate access to food and water, shelter, companions, disease treatment and injury prevention, and the ability to express normal behaviours.
Animal Welfare and Sentience in Aotearoa New Zealand Law
Writing expert evidence for animal welfare cases provides an opportunity to set out how animal welfare and sentience operate in ANZ law. Most decision makers are not experts in animal welfare, so expert evidence provides us with a chance to educate them on how veterinarians and animal welfare scientists consider animal welfare and suffering.
Citation: Helen Beattie “Animal Welfare and Sentience in Aotearoa New Zealand Law” (6 June 2026) VAWA Our Work <https://www.vawa.co.nz/post/policy_animalwelfare>.
Position | Use
Ongoing use of and engagement with animals must include continual progress towards “A Good Life” for them, which means moving away from limiting animal suffering to providing opportunities for positive and enriching experiences.
When innovating on matters that affect animals (e.g. virtual fencing technology; deer milking; fodder beet) expert animal welfare opinion should be sought to ensure animal welfare outcomes are acceptable.
Position | Transport - see more here.
Animals should only be transported when their welfare can be appropriately managed, including for the pre- and post- transportation period, and the journey itself. Stressors may include mixing, close confinement, different stock people and handling techniques, movement of the vehicle and the novel environment.
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