Nail-biting finish to SPCA’s Pets of the Year calendar competition secures the 2027 cover stars!

SPCA’s Pets of the Year fundraiser has been an incredible success with 1,716 entrants raising a total of $163,322.18 for animals in need across Aotearoa.

Members of the public created profiles for their cats and dogs, encouraging friends, family, colleagues and other animal lovers to vote through donations for their pet to have the chance of winning the coveted cover shot of SPCA’s 2027 Cat or Dog calendar.

Any profile which raised $150 or more was guaranteed a spot in the calendar, with the top profiles in each category taking the cover spots.

The competition came with a nail-biting finish, as the top contenders in both categories had a flood of last-minute donations to secure their places.

Voting has now closed, we have our winners, and calendars are now available for pre-order!

Taking out the top spot for our Cat calendar is the now five-time reigning champion Deli Department! This ginger cat raised a whopping $10,853 and will be gracing the cover of the 2027 Cat calendar yet again.

The winner and 2027 cover star for the Dog calendar is Boston, who raised an amazing $3,199.

“We were just blown away with the donations, especially in the final minutes of the competition,” says Elinor Birch, SPCA Events and Partnerships Manager.

“The generosity seen is truly overwhelming. We’d like to give a special shout out to our runners-up in both categories too – the profiles for William the cat, and Edison the dog. Although they didn’t win the top spots, all of our teams are so grateful for the funds they’ve raised. That goes for all of our entrants too.”

SPCA would like to say a huge thank you to our friends at The Coffee Club who proudly supported Pets of the Year, and provided $25,000 in matched funding during the competition. Their support enabled many more pet profiles to reach the $150 benchmark to be featured in the 2027 calendars, and is greatly appreciated.

“We’re so grateful to The Coffee Club for their very generous contribution,” says Elinor Birch, SPCA Events and Partnerships Manager. “We saw a real boost in donations when they offered their matched funding.

“We’d also like to thank our prize partners, Giftiee powered by iGo, The Coffee Club, and Purina for providing great prizes to our winners and runners-up.”

The fundraiser wouldn’t have been a success without our participants, and everyone who voted for their favourite profile by making a donation.

“To every single person who entered their pet, or donated to a profile – thank you on behalf of the animals,” Elinor says. “Every dollar you helped us to raise from the competition will be going towards their care, so we’re incredibly grateful for your support.”

Calendars are now available for pre-order. At just $20 + shipping, pre-ordering a calendar is a wonderful way to support our important work, helping over 55,000 animals every year both in our Centres and in the community.