SPCA launches 2026 Election Policy Explainer to keep animal welfare at the forefront of New Zealander’s minds

Two‑thirds of New Zealand households include at least one companion animal, and 95 per cent of New Zealanders agree that farmed animal welfare is important. SPCA says animal welfare is far from a fringe concern — it is a mainstream national priority.

SPCA Senior Scientific Officer Marie McAninch says the organisation has created the policy explainer to ensure animal welfare remains visible during election season.

“Animal welfare matters deeply to New Zealanders. It affects our families, our communities, and our international reputation. Our policy explainer is about giving political parties and voters clear, accessible information so they can consider animal welfare alongside the other issues they care about,” says McAninch.

SPCA is an apolitical organisation. It does not endorse parties or candidates and does not tell anyone how to vote. The policy explainer provides factual, non‑partisan information about the key actions that any incoming government could take to support animal welfare. Later in the year, SPCA will ask each political party where they stand on some of these key actions and will share the results with its supporters.

“We work across the political spectrum and with many stakeholders,” Marie says. “Our goal is simple: to prevent cruelty and improve the lives of animals. The explainer is one tool to help any political party make informed decisions that reflect New Zealanders’ values.”

The policy explainer sets out the top ten actions an incoming government could take to address key issues:

• Strengthen laws to reduce dog attacks and increase desexing

• Phase out the use of cages in farming including farrowing crates and colony cages, and apply equivalent standards to imported products

• Protect the ban on export of farm animals by sea

• Implement measures to address the overpopulation of cats

• Implement the closure of greyhound racing and support greyhound rehoming efforts

• Ban the private use, sale and import of fireworks

• Increase funding for desexing, animal welfare education and enforcement

The launch comes at a time when demand for SPCA services continues to grow. In the 2024–2025 year, SPCA received more than 14,000 animal cruelty complaints, an increase on previous years.

The organisation says this trend highlights the urgent need for greater investment in prevention, education, desexing, and enforcement.

“Every year, our Inspectors and animal welfare teams are stretched further. We are seeing more animals in need and more situations where early intervention could have prevented suffering,” Marie says. “To keep up with the needs of our communities, sustainable funding is essential.”

As a charity, SPCA delivers significant value to New Zealand. Independent analysis shows that every $1 invested in SPCA generates $10.50 in social value, equating to nearly $1 billion in benefit to the country each year.

SPCA also emphasises that strong animal welfare standards are vital to New Zealand’s global reputation.

The country’s $62 billion food and fibre export sector relies heavily on international trust in New Zealand’s ethical and high‑welfare production systems. In addition, allowing the imports of lower-welfare animal products risks undermining consumer trust.

“Animal welfare is not only a moral responsibility — it’s an economic one,” says Marie. “Our trading partners as well as domestic consumers expect fair and reasonable standards. Protecting animals protects New Zealand’s reputation and we risk falling behind if we do not prioritise animal welfare.”