Summer Jayne is an author and animal-advocate based in Taranaki, New Zealand. She is the mother to two teenagers, a five year old, and ‘a house full of animals’.

 

 

 

 

Next weekend, gunfire will ring out over otherwise tranquil locations all around Aotearoa. The target of the relentless rain of bullets: thousands of gentle and innocent ducks, resting unsuspectingly in the wetlands, rivers, lakes, and ponds that they consider their homes.

The first weekend of May is the opening of duck shooting season, an outdated Kiwi tradition, continuing over a number of weeks, where violently killing ducks is regarded as a recreational activity. The animal welfare issues are extensive, but there are also environmental and social implications to consider. Animal advocate Sandra Kyle is one of many calling for an outright ban.

“Duck shooting is unconscionable,” states Kyle. “Fortunately, more and more New Zealanders are concerned about the suffering and injury caused to ducks and other waterbirds during duck shooting season.  I am hopeful that this horrible tradition will soon be winging its way into obscurity.”

In 2015, the Animal Welfare Amendment Bill passed into law in Aotearoa declaring that animals, like humans, are sentient beings. That means they are legally recognised as conscious, and capable of experiencing pain, fear, and distress. In addition to having sentience, ducks are intelligent and social beings, who sometimes partner for life.

Forcing them to experience the horror of being shot, retrieved in the jaws of a dog, and then swung around by the head until their neck dislocates, all in the name of tradition, is morally abhorrent. But the extent of the cruelty goes ever further. Each season, countless birds experience non-lethal wounding when they are shot, but do not die outright.

Wounded birds suffer agonising and prolonged deaths. Often unable to fly or swim, many will drown or starve. Former hunter Paora Mepham has witnessed the suffering of wounded ducks firsthand and chooses to take photographs instead of lives these days.

“Every trip there was prolonged suffering by ducks. Wounded birds, unable to fly, would invariably escape into the surrounding undergrowth and suffer slow deaths. Getting together with mates in the great outdoors is great fun. Killing animals while doing it; not so much,” Mepham states.

While bird protection is proudly encouraged in Aotearoa, ironically, duck shooting is not widely regarded as a threat to bird life. In reality though, it disrupts whole ecosystems, damages wetlands, and harms the native and endemic birds that live in these precious and unique ecological areas.   Fragile populations of endangered whio (blue duck) and pāteke (brown teal) face unnecessary disruption and death during duck hunting season. When they’re in flight, pāteke is visibly similar to a common mallard and they’re regularly killed by mistake.

Areas where duck hunting takes place become littered with the wads of shotgun cartridges, adding to plastic pollution and degrading waterways. The constant gunfire and the traipsing of hunters to their maimai disturbs wildlife in other predictable ways; a violent and unnecessary intrusion that turns wetlands into killing zones.

The Fish and Game regulations allow for the killing of ducks and other “game bird” species considered to be overpopulated, including mallards, black swans, pheasants and quails, as well as NZ native pūtakitaki (paradise shelduck) and pūkeko.

Killing species we don’t want around is the default position in New Zealand, but we should not consider killing a form of conservation when there are other non-violent solutions available that offer benefits that traditional methods often overlook,and can also be more economical.  Non-lethal methods for controlling duck numbers include habitat modification, exclusion and deterrents, birth control such as oiling eggs and contraceptive baits, and population control via humane capture and relocation.

Duck shooting is widely considered a tradition in New Zealand, framed as a family-friendly activity passed down through generations. However, in 2025, surely it is time to evolve beyond a cultural tradition based on harming and killing animals. It is well-documented in scientific research that exposure to violence negatively impacts children’s development. Involving children in any form of animal killing desensitizes them to violence and normalises the objectification of other beings. It is now well established that children who hurt animals are statistically much more likely to grow up and hurt other humans.

Duck shooting is also closely tied to binge-drinking culture, with consumption of alcohol a very common accompaniment to hunting. As well as being dangerous for other humans, this also contributes to shooters making errors resulting in non-lethal woundings of ducks.

In 2025, we ought to strive for a society where we no longer consider killing animals an acceptable form of recreation. Traditions and activities that are based upon the harm, exploitation, or deaths of other creatures should be banned. We can replace these outdated activities with kinder and more environmentally friendly pastimes, such as community engagement in wetland conservation,  and counting of local bird populations.

Three Australian states have already banned duck shooting and it’s time Aotearoa followed their lead. On opening weekend, animal advocates will be protesting in Christchurch and Whanganui. There is also an online petition to the government that people can sign to support a ban. Let’s choose new, non-violent traditions to instill compassion and kindness into society, and show mercy to animals who do not deserve to be killed for our leisure.

This moving documentary follows from a previous article we did on Stuart Edmondson, the Pig Man of the Coromandel, who for twenty years has been feeding, looking after, and living with feral pigs on his remote property.  Trying to protect his family of pigs from pig hunters last Friday 13th, Stuart finally snapped, and tragically shot and killed a pig hunter who was poaching on his property, and injured another.  Stewart has been remanded in custody until his Court case comes up in February 2025.

We have started a fundraiser to try and help the many pigs who are now left alone, without a carer and surrounded by pig hunters.

https://givealittle.co.nz/cause/save-the-coromandel-pigs-urgent-appeal?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR2w30uTrT0k6hAllyVhKOgSQebK0nfoGiFoDXahiUCx0s5aGE4AoB4KvZU_aem_D1FYcI9F2WhI63P9rxa_Aw

 

by Sandra Kyle, Editor, May Safely Graze

 

A 77 year old man was taken into custody this week, and given name suppression.  The man has been accused to shooting two pig hunters, one of whom died at the scene, the other airlifted to hospital in non-critical condition.

This tragic incident took place on a remote rural road, the 309 road on the Coromandel Peninsula.  There on the property his parents bought more than 70 years ago the man shares his life with hundreds of ‘wild’ pigs.  He feeds them, looks after them, tends to them when they’re sick or injured.  He’s well known in the area and tourists drop by from all over to meet the pigs and cuddle the piglets.  Film makers Amy Taylor and James Muir interviewed him ten years ago, and the video is available on youtube.

“I’m here to help them,” the man says in the video of his friendly, domesticated pigs.  “If they get sick or anything they come up to see me.  If a pig dog’s chewed their ears off or arrows sticking out their stout.

“They’ve got real neat natures.  They’ve all got their own personalities like people. Little gentle souls. They don’t do anyone any harm. They’re really social animals. It really upsets me when they run them over on purpose, grab them, knife them, stick them with a crossbow. It’s a really cruel death.

“They just walk up to people and they just shoot them with a crossbow. Put them in all that pain. Very slow deaths.  Breaks your heart when you see an animal suffering like that”.

The pensioner is always having run-ins with pig hunters, who come onto his property at night, trying to steal his pigs.  Some are deliberately mowed down by cars.  “I normally bury them facing towards the sun. Not sure why.  I’m an old fella but I still cry when I lose an animal”.

Recently a New Zealand pig-hunting TikTok showed a wild boar cornered by six dogs.  The hunter can be heard egging his dogs on as three of them latch onto the pig’s face.

The boar is cornered by the increasing number of dogs sinking their teeth into his body, and then the hunter walks over and slaps the pig’s leg.  The pig tries to kick back and you can hear him groaning in pain.  The video went viral.

Is this what we celebrate?  The torture of animals?  Ill-treatment of wild animals is an offence under the New Zealand Animal Welfare Act 1999, but a defence can be made if the alleged conduct is considered generally accepted hunting practice.  How can shooting animals with a crossbow and dogs be deemed accepted hunting practice?

As far as I’m concerned there is no accepted hunting practice.  When we examine hunting through a lens of ethics and compassion, it becomes evident that all forms of hunting are fundamentally wrong, irrespective of the justifications for it. Pig hunting should be banned, at the very least there should be an immediate ban on using dogs and crossbows.  It is blatant cruelty to pigs to put them through such torment, and it’s also dangerous for the dogs.

The tragedy this week has touched many lives.  A family is grieving for the loss of their loved one, and hundreds of pigs are now without their dad and carer.   This normally gentle, mild-mannered man, after twenty years of trying to protect his pets, found hunters trying to kill them and he finally snapped.

He will be appearing in Court this week.  I will be following this case with interest.

And meantime, who will look after the pigs?  Will hunters be having a killing fest on the Coromandel Peninsula?

In this article May Safely Graze contributor Dr Lynley Tulloch condemns the mass gassing of 200,000 birds this week after avian influenza was found on a layer farm.

 

The spread of a highly pathogenic subtype of avian influenza on Hillgrove Egg Farm in rural Otago, belonging to Mainland Poultry,  has resulted in the entire population of 200,000 chickens being killed.  This strain is different from the H781 bird flu virus that has been responsible for the deaths of wild birds and mammals globally, and is not thought to be a threat to humans.

This is a biosecurity incident and it is rightfully being taken seriously. Concerns for economic implications regarding exports are one worry for the Industry. Consumers are also anxious that egg supply will be interrupted (it won’t apparently).

Yet, there is so much more to this than human-centred or industry concerns. New Zealand has a reputation for high animal welfare standards and yet these chickens were killed in one of the cruellest ways imaginable. Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson announced to the media that the birds would be ‘humanely culled’ (an oxymoron) with the farmer’s cooperation. Ray Smith was further quoted as saying: “Poultry farms are always having to depopulate and repopulate. They have large containers and they go into the containers and it is effectively a carbon dioxide process.”

The killing of 200,000 live and sentient chickens is a serious ethical issue. Chickens are intelligent, feeling, problem-solving, walking, flapping marvels. It’s high time that the implications for the chickens was given precedence over sunny-side-up eggs and capitalistic profits.

First up, how do you kill 200,000 birds over a few days with carbon dioxide? What are the methods of ‘humanely culling’ or ‘depopulation’? These are weasel words designed to distract and conceal a horrific process. Information on this requires a deep dive into the Code of Welfare: Layer Hens, published by the Ministry for Primary Industries.  ‘Humane destruction’ of hens according to MPI includes ‘gas suffocation’.  I am quite perplexed as to the use of the word ‘humane’ when linked with the painful extinguishing of life by administering gas.

For disease control purposes, carbon dioxide (CO 2) is often used in on-farm killing of large groups of poultry, in both mobile gas container units and whole house gassing exercises. When using this gas the hens generally asphyxiate within two minutes. In the early stages they experience breathlessness, hyperventilation and irritation of the nasal mucosa. Veterinarian Dr. Jonas Watson says that gassing also causes headshaking, gasping and convulsions in chickens prior to the cessation of brain activity.

The egg-laying industry is fraught with animal welfare issues even before any concerns about viruses or culling is mentioned. MPI also endorses the shredding of day-old male chicks in a giant macerator amounting to 2.5 million of these babies every year.  Their definition of humane killing also involves stringing spent hens up and then stunning them electrically, followed by neck dislocation and exsanguination (slitting their throats). I am positive that MPI and I do not share the same concept of what ‘humane’ means.

It’s a terrible lot layer hens have. Colony cage hens are only given the size of an A4 piece of paper each and live in crowded and noisy sheds their entire lives. This is enormously stressful and often leads to feather picking and cannibalism. Reducing a living being’s entire life to a biological function is exploitative and cruel. One might even argue that is not a life worth living. Having rescued a small number of these chickens at eighteen months old when they went off the lay, I can testify to their dull eyes and featherless bodies.

Chickens do not deserve this. No living and feeling creature should end their lives in such a cruel way. The only reason they are in this position at all is because they are being ruthlessly exploited to produce eggs in the first place.

It’s very easy to look the other way and not think about the lives of these birds.  But it’s not good enough, and we need to get into a flap about it. We have known for a long time that the gassing of animals is highly distressing to the dying animal. We need to reevaluate our food systems and not subject living beings to this kind of torture. The mass factory farming of egg-laying chickens needs to stop.

Animals need to be given the same essential rights as humans, otherwise we will continue to misuse our power by exploiting, harming and killing them.  Such a reorientation will include both how  we co-exist with our fellow Earth beings, and how we operate our society economically and socially.

 

 

 

Dr Lynley Tulloch is an Early Childhood Education Lecturer at the Auckland University of Technology (AUT).   She is a long-time animal activist.

 

 

by May Safely Graze contributor, Dr Lynley Tulloch

Just a few days after the opening of duck shooting season on 4 th May, 2024 I planned a kayak down a section of the Waikato River. The air was crisp as a Granny Smith apple and smelled dank. Before my journey had even begun my eyes caught sight of a beak and feathers wrapped in a black bag by a rubbish bin. Sure enough, there was a bag of dumped ducks, buzzing with flies and decomposing in the half-baked sun. The ducks with their broken wings and raw flesh were like ripe strawberries on the turn. They lay in their unsung grave, victims to the ‘sport’ of duck shooting.

The dumping of ducks is illegal according to the New Zealand Fish and Game Council. It can carry a fine of up to $5000. Drinking alcohol while hunting is also frowned upon by he New Zealand Fish and Game Council. However, judging by the amount of beer cans also in the rubbish bin the no-drinking rule seems to have been taken with a grain of salt. 

It left a bad feeling. There was something terribly sad about the single wing that fluttered uselessly on the tarmac. I took a picture because I hoped it would say the thousand words that now caught like a river rock in my throat.

The thousand words of ducks on the wing; of the breath of wind; of the sandy bottom of the river; of the heights of clouds.

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The story ended here.  In a rubbish bin. Dumped. Like no one cared.  Except they did. I cared. And so do many other animal lovers who loathe duck-shooting season.

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I got in my kayak and glided away from the death of ducks. The ducks didn’t deserve to die and I vowed to get them some justice. But the horror was not yet over. To my side in the water was a putrid body of another duck. Then a few strokes of the paddle revealed yet another dead duck. This duck lay on his back with his feet facing skyward. The world has turned upside down and the clouds now scudded across the bottom of the river. This duck would never fly again.

It was fair to say that this horror made my blood run as cold as the river itself. Further upstream I found bags and bags of bottles and beer cans dumped just up on the bank. They spilled out and into the water, bobbing like the dead duck they were merging with. This duck had lost all the feathers on his neck.

 

 

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Save Animals from Exploitation (SAFE) has drawn on international studies which show that 20 to 40% of water birds that are hit by shotgun pellets are never retrieved. With around one million water birds shot in Aotearoa New Zealand each year this would equate to the maiming or around 200,000 birds who go on to suffer prolonged pain or death. 

---

I’m trying to see things from the perspective of the ducks and other waterbirds that are killed every season. With every turn of the river I don’t see a ‘sport’. I see death, pain and fear. I know the human perspective unfortunately too well. For humans this is a great weekend and fun. Maybe they will eat the birds – maybe they won’t (cue dumped ducks). The birds on the other hand, despite being framed as ‘game’, are victims of a cruel attack.

 

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This is their home, the one they live in all year round, raising young and forming flocks. Who are we to invade it, loaded with guns, duck decoys and whistles, boats, motorised engines, waders and beers?

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Who indeed? For the ducks and other water birds we are not their equals in a sports game, and this is not fun. This is their lives.  Paddling in despair I came around the bend of the river to find a dead black swan. Her graceful arching neck was now collapsed like a piece of sinewy rope. She floated in the river currents, her eyes looking skyward to a world now lost to her. It’s not commonly known that you are allowed to shoot swans during duck shooting season. Fish and Game Regulations on the Auckland / Waikato season give an indication of the variety and amount of water birds hunted. This includes eight bags of Mallard and Grey Duck and ten bags of Paradise Sheldrake duck in a single day. Also up for grabs are quail, pukeko, pheasant and geese. As if this isn’t enough, some of these ducks are native to Aotearoa New Zealand. In fact, three native duck species, in decline or endangered, are allowed to be shot under the outdated Wildlife Act 1953. They are the Grey Duck (Parera), the Shoveler (Kuruwhengi) and the Paradise Shelduck (Putangitangi).

The river was now eerily quiet as I paddled along to the next landing. A few ducks hid in the undergrowth while duck decoys bobbed realistically near maimais. Each maimai  a death trap, decorated with ferns and flaxes so the ducks don’t know of the danger within. Gun shots rung out in the distance, and I longed for the end.

 

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Finally I reached the landing. But just before I got there another ghoulish surprise waited. A dead sheep, all flesh removed and head and skin hanging on a pole over the water stared down at me. It was like a haunted house. I had seen people camping not far from this poor sheep during the opening weekend of duck shooting. It is likely that the sheep remains came from their meal.

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It is time to ban duck shooting and make a stand against this violence to waterbirds. Please sign the petition to ban duck shooting in Aotearoa New Zealand.

 

 

This time last year the new New Zealand Associate Minister of Agriculture was a leader in the dairy-farming community, and the President of Federated Farmers.  Now as an MP he will be spearheading the new government’s promise to reverse the previous Labour government’s ban on live export.  

The Industry is throwing a million dollars behind a campaign to persuade the NZ people that this is a good idea.

Read why it is not – and how you can help to keep the ban in place!

Andrew Hoggard MP, new Associate Minister for Animal Agriculture (Animal Welfare) in New Zealand

 

 

Spinoff article by law professor Marcelo Rodriguez Ferrere.

https://thespinoff.co.nz/politics/02-02-2024/if-reversing-the-ban-on-live-exports-is-a-good-idea-why-spend-1-million-to-persuade-us 

 

Support the Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa NZ’s campaign to keep the ban in place.

https://animaljustice.org.nz/protect-the-ban-on-live-export/  

 

 

National Day of Action Against Live Export – February 25th 

https://www.facebook.com/events/935649641517198  

 

 

New film on the sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1 live export carrier.  

https://maysafelygraze.org.nz/7384-2/ 

 

In this article Sandra Kyle interviews New Zealand independent film maker Carlie Jackson.  Carlie has just completed a film on the sinking of the Gulf Livestock I, a live export carrier that sank in the South China Sea in 2020, killing 43 crew and nearly 6,000 cows.

 

Carlie was born in rural Waikato, New Zealand, in 1971.  She grew up on a dairy farm, developing a deep love of animals along the way, often believing she could communicate intuitively with them.

Carlie had a number of life-changing experiences, beginning from the tender age of 3 years, when she fell into an old farm trough.  Her father pulled her lifeless body out just in time but this near-death experience profoundly affected her childhood. From that time onwards Carlie felt her insight into animals grew, and she would often have precognitive dreams about them. She had another profound near-death experience as a teenager, that fundamentally changed her view of existence, time, and consciousness, and this continues to drive all she does today. 

From the young age of 19, Carlie single-handedly raised 2 sons (now in their late twenties and early 30s).  She has always leaned towards a creative path in life.  From painting on canvas to illustrating children’s books and making short films, her creative flair was forever at work.

Today she lives with her husband Greg on the same farm she grew up on, where she now runs an animal rescue sanctuary, rescuing and caring for many abandoned animals.  She describes the dairy farm-turned-sanctuary as ‘her happy place’.  (Edited from Carlie’s bio on FilmFreeway). 

 

How long have you been a vegan/animal activist Carlie?

I have been a vegan for about 20 years (since my early 30s) and vegetarian through my teens and twenties before that.

I think the first seed of animal rights activism started early for me, on the dairy farm my parents owned, and it was also the catalyst for turning me vegan.  My earliest memories are of suffering animals.  I remember trying to defend bobby calves around age 4.

I recall witnessing the cruel treatment of calves by truck drivers who would literally throw them onto the trucks, often breaking their bones.  I remember hearing the tormented cries, including from the mother cows, and seeing the unwanted calves left on the roadside pens, as they did back then in the 70s. As a young child, I would try to intervene and defend them from the truck drivers.

Over the years I attended many protests, made animal rights videos, and a few animal rights TV productions.  I also attempted to start an animal justice party during 2020, but decided to focus my energy toward the film instead, and leave it to the people who were cut out for politics, while I focussed creatively to make a difference.

Why did you form Stonewall Productions?

Prior to forming my production company I spent many years as an artist, and also illustrating children’s books. I wrote two books, one about single parenting (‘Solo Angels’), and a children’s book with an animal rights focus (‘I am Not Bacon’) .

I spent several years in the TV industry producing and presenting shows before I fell in love with film.  I decided that film was potentially a more powerful medium than books to reach a wider audience, to move more hearts and to hopefully shift the thinking of the status quo (particularly with regard to animal rights), so I taught myself to both film and edit.

 

Waking from the dream.  Arleearna Drake standing beside her on
screen grandmother ( Lisa Stevens).  Māori mythology is woven through the film about
the power of the ocean, and respect for the sea.

 

When did you decide you wanted to make a feature film about Gulf Livestock I?

I almost felt like the film chose me, if that makes sense!

At the risk of sounding weird, I actually woke from a very lucid dream several months prior to the tragedy. I woke deeply upset from the dream, recounting it to my husband, and because it was so vivid, I felt it was significant and wrote it down in a dream diary I keep.

I often dream about animals who are in distress.  I have found abandoned kittens after dreaming about their exact location. Maybe it is due to my ancestral ties to this land where I still live today, who knows?

When I heard the news about the sinking months later on my car stereo, I was incredibly distressed. The way the news rolled out was just as I had dreamt it. “Thousands of frightened cows falling into the sea after the ship capsized.”

The decision to make a film about this came literally within days of the tragedy. I was infuriated about how our government and media were handling things, including their continuous reference along the lines of “they were just cows,” dismissing their suffering, and focusing almost entirely only on the human loss of life.

 

From left, Phil Palmer, Roman Jackson, and Mike Cater playing NZ and Australian Crew getting ready to
leave Napier Port

 

Can you outline the process of making the film for us? 

Blood, sweat and tears literally for almost 3 years!

Initially, I went to the New Zealand Film Commission to apply for funding. They said because I was a “nobody” they couldn’t help me, and that they preferred not to fund films that involved animals or the ocean, apparently because those things are problematic to film. (!!)

My wonderful dad, who was unwell at the time – and underwent a major amputation – believed so much in my efforts, he offered to fund the film.

I knew we wouldn’t be able to board a real live export ship to film on (although I did approach numerous companies to try!) so we had to improvise cutting between a small boat we ended up using, to real footage that I had obtained from a live export ship.

I started researching early on about the horrific condition the Gulf Livestock 1 vessel was in, and how it had not passed its seaworthy inspection just 12 months prior to leaving Napier Port.

My upset about the tragedy grew even worse when I was told by MPI that it was in fact, a port vet who did the final inspection of Gulf1 before it left Napier Port, and not an engineer. I have this in writing from MPI.

Initially I felt I wanted to lean the film towards a drama as opposed to a documentary, as my concern was that a full-on doco might drive viewers away from watching, if they feared too graphic images.

So, I wrote the script as a drama, based on the true story. Then it was only toward the end of editing the film I decided it must become a docu-drama, because this was the only chance to embed the tragedy into the minds of people, and to remind our government in the event that they might try to bring it back – which they now, very disturbingly, are attempting to do.

 

Sandra Kyle plays her real life role as an animal rights
activist, as well as the on-screen mother to crew member Chris Gordon. A final
goodbye before leaving Napier Port.

 

Most of those playing key roles are activists rather than experienced actors?

Yes, most of the actors in the film are activists, friends and people known to me, which was a deliberate decision I made for a number of reasons.

Firstly,  I preferred to work with people who had a true passion for having this tragic story told, because I believed that would produce the real fire-in-the-belly required to bring the characters to life.

This was a self-funded film, and I couldn’t afford ‘real actors’ anyway, even though I communicated with Lucy Lawless and a few other known actors.  I am glad I did go within unknowns, because each and every actor delivered so beautifully and powerfully. I was wiping tears as I filmed!

I was so humbled by the dedication and delivery of all the actors, and I am so grateful to them all. It’s a very vulnerable situation for them to be in, and they did themselves proud.

 

Monica Reid with onscreen husband (Chris Gordon) saying a final goodbye
before leaving port.

 

I think there were many obstacles along the way for you Carlie?

Yes, absolutely. Mammoth obstacles, that I’m still reeling from today.

In a sense I felt like I bled much of my own pain into the film, as we often do as creative people. We pour our pain into something tangible. It has all added an ethereal feeling to the film as well.

The loss of my father during the final stages of editing was an enormous blow for me.  I was very close to my dad, and was at his deathbed when he passed. I also had to take a break from the production process while I underwent major cardio-thoractic surgery to my lung, as a result of which I was in crippling pain for a year.  What’s more, my son, who is also an actor in the film, left for the Ukraine to fight on the frontline not long after we had finished filming.  As a mum, this was a horrific time for me.

On the lighter side of obstacles, because I didn’t have the kind of major funding required – which normally for a film like this would require at least a few million dollars – I had no ‘crew’ as such, other than a group of amazing actors!  I had to write, produce, direct, film and edit the entire feature film myself.

When will it be released?

There are a few technical issues within the film that are currently being fixed, so that it will be cinema ready from April.  Unfortunately, the NZ Film Festival declined playing the film this year, on the basis that ‘it didn’t fit with their genre of films for 2024.’  It is currently lodged with ‘Doc Edge’ a film distribution hub in NZ, who are making a decision on whether to release it nationwide across all cinemas. Their decision will be made in April, so all things crossed!

If for any reason Doc Edge choose not to distribute the film, I will self-distribute through cinemas that are willing to show the film around New Zealand, Australia and the Philippines, as well as online from early May 2024.

Any funds raised from the film will go to support more campaigning against the Live export industry, as well as other animal rights projects.

Have you got any other projects in the pipeline?

Yes, two projects this year.

I am currently putting my own personal story into a film this year called “Ancestral Fires” centered on a near-death experience I had as a teenager. I am also working on a documentary around the experiences of soldiers on the front line in the Ukraine, and their collective stories about coping with the trauma of war.

Is there anything else you would like to say?

I believe if you feel a deep calling to do something that could potentially change history for the better, it  is important to honour it. Rather than waiting for permission or approval, find the support and just do it.  Life is too short.

I believe it is a moral obligation to Life itself, for each of us to leave a legacy in our lives, and to hopefully leave our planet, the animal kingdom and humanity in a better state than it was. Whether it is to immortalise a story in a book, a piece of music, art, film, or poem, every small offering is important.

I would also like to add that my greatest respect goes to the animal rights activists across New Zealand, who continue to speak out loudly and boldly about the atrocities happening to animals across many industries. It will be the actions of these strong people who will change history.

One of my favourite animal rights sayings in terms of motivation, has always been:

“If not us, then who?….If not now, then when?”

Thankyou, Carlie! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It will only take a minute of your time!  We need as many people as possible to send for the government to take our opposition to this cruel practice seriously.

Here is the link:

https://animaljustice.org.nz/protect-the-ban-on-live-export/?civiwp=CiviCRM&q=civicrm%2Fpetition%2Fsign&sid=2

Text of the letter is as follows:

Rt Hon Christopher Luxon

Hon Todd McClay, Minister of Trade, Minister of Agriculture

Hon Andrew Hoggard, Associate Minister of Agriculture (Animal Welfare, Skills)

CC: 

Rt Hon Winston Peters

Hon David Seymour

Dear Prime Minister and Ministers,

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the coalition agreement to overturn the ban on the live export of animals by sea. My reasons are set out below.

1 Reversing the ban will harm New Zealand’s billion-dollar Image

The ban on live export plays a vital role in upholding New Zealand’s image as a clean, green country with high animal welfare standards, which is worth billions to our economy. The ban is a testament to our commitment to good welfare practices. Reversing it jeopardises our reputation and could impact global trade agreements with potential economic and diplomatic fallout. Our ban has already influenced discussions in Free Trade Agreement negotiations with the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Distressing footage during live export journeys going viral can also be disastrous for our reputation. Australia’s international reputation as a progressive country that cares about animal welfare suffered severely as a result of leaked footage of their live sheep export. New Zealand farmers have a strong reputation that would become compromised with similar footage.

2 Live export makes a minimal contribution to our Economy

Live exports constitute a mere 0.6 percent of primary sector exports, contributing minimally to our $53 billion record in primary sector exports last year. It should be noted that the $53 billion was in large part thanks to our global image. The economic loss from maintaining the ban is inconsequential compared to the damage to our reputation if the ban is overturned.

Furthermore, China’s drive for dairy self-sufficiency directly undermines the profitability of New Zealand’s live animal exports in the future. New Zealand could, instead, be investing in high value and knowledge-intensive products from our biomaterials, such as biocosmetics or sports nutrition, both of which are growing export markets and play to New Zealand’s branding strengths.

Overturning the ban is therefore counterproductive, and not in the best interests of our economy.

3 ‘Gold Standard’ voyages do not address the defined problems.

The much-taunted ‘gold standard’ for live exports, including improvements to ships, cannot address the fundamental concerns at the heart of live export. The length of the voyage is the main issue.  Improvements cannot overcome the injuries, infectious diseases, stress, fear, seasickness, boredom, lack of free movement, anxiety, fatigue and dehydration that are an inherent part of the experience of animals during long-distance journeys.

Improvements also cannot completely remedy the serious risks associated with unpredictable weather conditions, including storms and extreme temperatures. Tragically, we saw this in 2020 when the Gulf Livestock I sank during Typhoon Maysak, resulting in the drowning of 41 crew and nearly 6,000 of our New Zealand cows.

4 The journey at sea is only part of the issue. 

Once the animals arrive at their destination, they fall outside the protective umbrella of the New Zealand Animal Welfare Act. This omission opens the door to potential mishandling and suffering during long overland journeys and ultimately in slaughterhouses, that are unregulated by animal welfare standards. Animals are left vulnerable without the legal safeguards that our Act provides, amplifying the urgency to maintain the live-export ban.

The majority of our animals are exported to China, a country where there are currently no nationwide laws that explicitly prohibit the mistreatment of animals, and which has an Animal Protection Index rating of E (the lowest being a G). Re-initiating live exports to China severely compromises our farmers’ strong reputations as well as our global image.

I support the live export ban.

In conclusion, Prime Minister, and Ministers, reversing the live export ban jeopardises New Zealand’s billion-dollar image and economic success.

The short-term minimal financial contribution from live exports does not justify the cruelties and risks to the animals or our economy. Upgrading ships does not address key defined problems as they cannot shorten the journey or offer any form of protection once animals are off-boarded.

As one of the many New Zealanders who support the live export ban, I am extremely proud of our world-leading approach to this and the fact that other countries have followed, or are considering following, our lead, and banning this practice.

Upholding the ban aligns with changing global ethical practices and will safeguard our reputation as a leader in animal welfare, as well as protecting the economic advantages that depend on that reputation.

Please acknowledge that you have received this letter. Thank you for your consideration of this critical issue and we look forward to your timely response.

HappyCow has published its list of the Top 20 vegan cities in the world in 2023.

Founded by frequent traveller and vegan Paul Brent in 1999, HappyCow charts the growth of veganism worldwide.  

Their ratings come from a number of criteria, including the number of vegan restaurants, vegan friendly businesses, and the vibrancy of the local vegan community. 

Topping the list for the fourth year running is London.  A number of other European capitals make it on the list, including Paris, where vegan cuisine is having an impact on traditional French pastries and cheeses.  In the US Portland is the most vegan-friendly city.

The full list is as follows: 

1. London
2. Berlin
3. Barcelona
4. Amsterdam
5. Hamburg
6. Portland
7. Los Angeles
8. Paris
9. Bangkok
10. Lisbon
11. Tokyo
12. Warsaw
13. Brighton
14. Singapore
15. New York City
16. Taipei
17. Munich
18. Ho Chi Minh City
19. Prague
20. Edinburgh

 

See also:  Vegan cities Top 20

 

 

In this series of articles May Safely Graze editor Sandra Kyle interviews the leadership team of the newly-registered Animal Justice Party of Aotearoa New Zealand.  Next is General Secretary, Danette Wereta.

 

1 Tell us a bit about yourself and your background, Danette.

I was born in New Zealand and lived in Melbourne, Australia for 10 years in my 20’s.  My son was born in Australia and we moved back when he was little.  My work background is in leadership, strategy, culture, change management, and customer engagement, with over 18 years experience working in numerous industries in New Zealand and Australia, including financial services, government, energy, sales, and distribution. 

 I have an MBA from Canterbury University. I have been in Senior Leadership for over six years, and am the Board Chair for Ao Tawhiti and the Climate Action Campus. 

2 How has your background helped you to do your job in the AJP?

My studies and career path have all been helpful and pertinent.  In particular, in 2022 I worked in a start-up, which was completely different from my previous roles (in which I led large operational teams of 100+ people). I learned a lot piloting a new business, and found that a new Party has many similarities. You need to get the basics right, be clear on your purpose and position, have goals and planned pathways to achieve them, and set up repeatable processes to ensure they’re scalable. The “so what” becomes very important. 

It also has the same energy and feels like, as the old saying goes, you are “building the plane while flying it”. 

My governance experience from being on Boards also helps, and of course, years of leadership means different tools in the belt can be applied in different situations. 

3 Do you have a personal philosophy? What drives you?  

My philosophy is that we aren’t here to get big mortgages, fancy cars, or race to the bottom – consuming unnecessarily, causing irreparable harm and damage.  We have a lot to learn from the animals who exist alongside us, who are also themselves, who are also connected. It makes you question – what in fact is success? What brings joy and happiness? How do we find balance – giving and taking the way our mother earth intended it. 

4 What do you consider your main strengths are?

I am an extremely curious person who is both strong and compassionate.  My childhood was difficult, and that has given me much empathy.  Growing up, my companion animals never let me down, and I’ve always had a strong connection to all animals. 

5 Why did you became a part of the AJP?

The animal rights movement is huge, and we are all doing critical work. I have always admired and supported different NGOs, advocacy groups, and communities. 

I saw AJP step into a vital swim lane that was empty in NZ, and it was the opportunity to use the skills acquired in my career in a super meaningful way. It feels corny saying this, but it really felt completely aligned. For the first time, I could really make a difference by taking everything I know and applying those skills to create value in a space I care most about. 

We need people to shine a light on what is wrong, to bring awareness, and also solutions.  We need people championing change, and we need AJP working in Parliament to ensure that our laws provide the proper protection and support animals deserve. We need to ensure that laws are in place to help the incredible people in the field do their job when things go wrong, and we also need to be upstream to mitigate things going wrong. 

What is right and wrong is often compared to what is legal and illegal, so it’s easy to think that how we treat animals is ok. We need an independent Commissioner for Animals to give animals a voice against abuse, exploitation for entertainment, and harm to their natural environment. We need systemic change to re-evaluate our understanding of animals, and to treat them as individuals. 

6 What does your position in the AJP entail?  

General Secretary.  I was lucky to be voted into this position. I have big shoes to fill, and I am trying my best. There is lots to learn! Luckily, I am surrounded by a helpful and experienced team. 

In a nutshell, a political party’s general secretary is a key administrative role, responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations, implementing strategic goals, fostering communication, and ensuring compliance with political regulations.  It’s a varied and extensive position, entailing working closely with the other party leaders and officers.

7 Are there any AHA moments you had on your path towards veganism?

I grew deeply frustrated with speciesism; to me it is stating the obvious that it is wrong to treat one type of animal one way, and another so very differently.  We all feel fear, pain, and joy.

I am certain that if most people bore witness to what actually happens in slaughterhouses, and imagined their dog in that position, they would want them all shut down. Language has been used to disconnect from the truth of how we treat animals, and we need to start being honest. 

Animals’ lives are theirs, not ours. Humans are the biggest pests on the planet and when we look at history, you can see how the way we live directly impacts animals. We must take responsibility and stop the industrialization of animal farming. We are in a crisis that continues to grow more serious with each passing year. We have to make better choices. 

I have always felt intuitively connected to animals and felt like we understood each other. Over the years, I have relied on a sixth sense and often end up where an animal needs help. Unfortunately, a lot of that is providing love and light as they cross over the rainbow bridge. It’s been very heavy and extremely difficult. However, I spoke with someone who explained that it’s a gift, and I need to lean in. I should see it as an honor and embrace the role.  So, I spend a lot of time helping animals! And, thankfully, it doesn’t always end sadly. 

8 Do you think a single-issue party like AJP has any chance of being a part of the government?

It will be very hard. However, I have hope!   Hope is important. Hope is powerful. And the wave of change happens so fast these days. While it is easy to get bogged down in the horrific cruelty that we inflict upon animals, there are many beacons of light. 

9 Do you think AJP can make a difference for animals, even if it remains small? 

Yes. Everyone can’t do everything, but if we join up and work together, we can make a difference.  AJP is needed on the scene to drive much-needed political action for the animals.

10 Is there anything else you’d like to say?

 I feel extremely privileged to work alongside my colleagues at AJP, and to be learning from everyone.  We’re all here to make change for animals.  We have grit and determination and nothing is impossible.

John Feldmann said:  “I believe animals should be respected as citizens of this earth. They should have the right to their freedom, their own families and their own life”.

This is what I believe too.

 

 

Thankyou, Danette! 

See Also:

https://maysafelygraze.org.nz/research-strategies-and-go-an-interview-with-ajp-aotearoa-nz-executive-president-rob-mcneil/

https://maysafelygraze.org.nz/lets-help-each-other-an-interview-with-ajp-aotearoa-nz-policy-president-karen-singleton/