Animal Matters

Shakespeare said "A rose by any other word would smell as sweet", but how much weight does a name really hold? Last month, the Vegan Society marked World Vegan Month by investigating consumer attitudes towards ‘plant-based’ and 'vegan' terminology, and why those attitudes were held. This week, Will Appelbe and Courtney White discuss their reckons on the matter, and what impacts using these terms might have for the vegan mo...

Is the bell finally tolling for greyhound racing in New Zealand? If conversations and media stories with Racing Minister Kieran McAnulty are to be believed, the industry’s days may very well be numbered. After yet another horror weekend on Auckland’s race tracks, a ban couldn’t come fast enough. This week, Will Appelbe and Courtney White get back behind the mics to chat what the future looks like for greyhound racing, with...

The ‘end of the cage age’ has been a hot topic in New Zealand media over the past few days. Unfortunately, though the end of 2022 will bring with it a ban on battery cages, colony cages will remain legal. While they’re marketed as a ‘kinder’ option, what difference do these cages make to the lives of the hens kept locked inside them? Jessica Chambers, SAFE’s Head of Campaigns, joins Will Appelbe and Courtney White to talk ...

The passing of Queen Elizabeth II has dominated the news cycle of late, so it's time to catch up with the latest (and not so great) animal yarns. Will fills Courtney in with the latest revelations from the greyhound racing industry and live export trade. The Jane Goodall Institute has made a strong statement in regards to pest control, and the Aussies and Kiwis might be keen on more plant-based food at their favourite eate...

After a brief hiatus, Will Appelbe and Courtney White are back behind the mic's! This week they unveil 0800 EXPOSE, SAFE's newest programme aiming to assist those who have witnessed animal cruelty to report it, safely. They also discuss the call for McDonald's to address their stake in intensive winter grazing, also known as 'mud farming', and add a much-needed bright spot to your day with some welcome news for kittens. ...

Will Appelbe and Courtney White are joined by SAFE Campaigns Officer, Emma Brodie, to discuss a little-known practice taking place behind slaughterhouse doors across the country. They also discuss concerns about the response from MPI into sheep welfare on a farm in Christchurch, green-washing in bottom-trawling, the absent referent in discussions about live export and trade, and PETA’s request to rename a roundabout in the...

Last week, the New Zealand Animal Law Association and SAFE challenged the legality of rodeo at the High Court. This is the second time the two organisations have taken the Government to court, and the results of that first court case has caused headaches for the pork industry in recent weeks. And a new Oat Milk chocolate causes controversy when it’s revealed it actually contains zero oat milk. Who would have thought th...

This week we talk with Lynn Charlton, spokesperson for Anti Rodeo Action. Next month the New Zealand Animal Law Association and SAFE will be challenging the legality of rodeo at the Wellington High Court. In the lead up to the court date, we wanted to speak with one of the many grass roots activists who have been instrumental in exposing what happens at rodeo events in Aotearoa. Anti Rodeo Action has been filming at rodeo ...

Fishes are the forgotten victims of factory farming. This week we chat with SAFE Campaigns Manager Anna de Roo about the salmon farming industry, and how these animals are so neglected. Greyhound racing is back on the agenda, and the Government recently released its first Emissions Reduction Plan. While the plan has some favourable initiatives to address emissions from transport, agriculture largely gets a free pass. ...

Greyhound racing is facing a new scandal, following revelations made by Newshub that indicate potential neglect and mistreatment at a kennel belonging to one of the industry’s most prolific trainers. 

The ban on live export faced a small bump in the road recently, but it looks like it will still become law in due course. 

And the Government is proposing a ban on farrowing crates, following a successful court case back in 2...

On this week's episode of Animal Matters, we chat with Abigail Penny, the UK Executive Director at Animal Equality.

Animal Equality is an international animal protection organisation, and they’re most well known for their undercover investigations. Those investigations recently fed into a BBC Panorama documentary that aired in February, which exposed the UK’s dairy industry. The documentary sparked considerable debate in th...

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released its latest report, and it’s not great. We have a lot to do. But New Zealand officials successfully lobbied against the use of plant-based terminology, which begs the question, did our officials miss the point? 

And greyhound racing is working harder than ever to improve their public appearance, to such an extent that they’re excluding New Zealand’s leading animal we...

Live pigs delivered to your door. That’s what some businesses are offering in the Auckland and Waikato regions. The advice these businesses are giving to kill these pigs is illegal though, and bears an airy resemblance to a British TV ad that many considered was ‘vegan propaganda’. 

And the equestrian industry has been caught up in more PR disasters, and one such situation involved one of Aotearoa’s most famous horse riders...

Horse racing has managed to avoid much of the scrutiny that greyhound racing faced in 2021, but a string of recent incidents show that the horse racing industry isn’t without its faults either. 

And a last minute shipment from Timaru rounded out a bumper year for the live export industry, which is showing few signs of slowing down despite a ban on the horizon.

• Who won New Zealand sport in 2021? - New Zealand Herald, 30 D...