Codes of Welfare for animals provide minimum standards, recommendations for best practice, and guidance for owners and people in charge of animals. Codes of welfare are created under the Animal Welfare Act 1999. NAWAC (National Welfare Animal Welfare Committee) is responsible for detailing minimum standards for specific species and activities in Codes of Welfare. NAWAC then advises the Minister responsible for Animal Welfare. SPCA advocates that codes of welfare must remain up-to-date and based on the latest scientific evidence.

New Zealand is home to more than 4.35 million companion animals but legislation to protect the welfare of companion animals has been neglected for decades:

• There is currently no code of welfare for rabbits

• The current Code of Welfare for Companion Cats has not been updated for 17 years*

• The current Code of Welfare for Dogs has not been updated for 14 years*

*The current Dog and Cat codes have a 2018 date as this was when regulations were inserted but there was no change to content. The 2018 Codes were not publicly notified nor subject to public submissions.

This makes it challenging for animal welfare inspectors to enforce the Animal Welfare Act. SPCA Inspectorate have very few tools to address welfare cases related to rabbits. The codes of welfare for cats and dogs are more than a decade out of date in relation to current good practice and scientific knowledge. Absent and out of date codes make it difficult for people to know how to best care for animals.

Frustrated by lack of progress on the companion codes, SPCA formed an agreement with MPI and NAWAC; SPCA would draft a new rabbit code and lead updating the cat and dog codes on the condition that these would be accepted into NAWAC’s work plan. SPCA developed new and updated proposed draft codes to reflect advances in research and practices relevant for animal welfare and ensure the code helps uphold the Animal Welfare Act in New Zealand.

A new draft Code of Welfare for rabbits was drafted by SPCA in 2021. SPCA completed the required consultation with representatives of people likely to be affected by the code and passed the proposed new code and accompanying report to NAWAC for consideration in 2021. NAWAC has begun work to progress the draft code of welfare for rabbits.

• Read the draft Code of Welfare submitted to NAWAC*
• Read an abridged version of the explanatory report submitted to NAWAC

*Please note: This is a draft Code of Welfare submitted to NAWAC for consideration. This document has not been issued by the Minister for Agriculture and is not a current Code of Welfare under the Animal Welfare Act.

An updated Code of Welfare for cats was drafted by SPCA in 2023. SPCA completed the required consultation with representatives of people likely to be affected by the code and passed the updated draft code and accompanying report to NAWAC for consideration in 2023.

• Read the draft Code of Welfare submitted to NAWAC*

• Read an abridged version of the explanatory report submitted to NAWAC

*Please note: This is a draft Code of Welfare submitted to NAWAC for consideration. This document has not been issued by the Minister for Agriculture and does not replace the current Code of Welfare (Cats) 2018 or any other related legislation.

A writing group comprising seven national animal welfare stakeholders drafted an updated Code of Welfare for Dogs. This group included: Companion Animals New Zealand (CANZ), Companion Animal Veterinarians (NZVA-CAV), Dogs New Zealand (Dogs NZ), New Zealand Institute of Animal Management (NZIAM), New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA), New Zealand Veterinary Nursing Association (NZVNA), SPCA New Zealand (SPCA), and Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa (VAWA).

SPCA completed the required consultation with representatives of people likely to be affected by the code, requesting feedback from over 400 organisations and individuals. The updated proposed draft code and accompanying report were passed to NAWAC for consideration in October 2023.

• Read the draft Code of Welfare submitted to NAWAC*

• Read an abridged version of the explanatory report submitted to NAWAC

*Please note: This is a draft Code of Welfare submitted to NAWAC for consideration. This document has not been issued by the Minister for Agriculture and does not replace the current Code of Welfare (Dogs) 2018 or any other related legislation.

Minister responsible for animal welfare, Hon. Andrew Hoggard, made the unprecedented move of directing NAWAC to pause all work on the companion animal codes stating,

"My expectation is that work on other codes currently underway is to be paused, this includes any work on the rabbit code of welfare or any other 'companion animal' codes of welfare, and any opinion pieces the Committee is considering".

We have written to the Minister and NAWAC to express our deep disappointment and concern. We urge the Minister to urgently progress companion animal legislation.