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Animal Welfare – Another greyhound dead as industry prioritises racing until the bitter end – SAFE

Source: SAFE For Animals

SAFE says the death of a young greyhound on Friday, combined with plans to export dogs overseas for racing and new financial incentives for participants, shows the industry still hasn’t learned the lessons that led to the ban on greyhound racing in New Zealand.
Three-year-old Diamond Harriot was euthanised on Friday 29 May after suffering a fractured elbow during a race at Christchurch’s Addington Raceway. She had raced 58 times in her short life.
The death comes just days after revelations that Greyhound Racing New Zealand (GRNZ) is facilitating a charter flight to Australia so greyhounds can continue racing and breeding overseas. The organisation has also increased prizemoney and introduced fuel payments for participants in the final weeks before the industry closes.
SAFE Campaign Manager Emma Brodie says the developments expose a disturbing set of priorities.
“New Zealanders expected the greyhound racing ban to mark the beginning of a responsible transition focused on the welfare of dogs.”
“Instead, we’re seeing efforts to continue racing beyond New Zealand’s borders and incentives designed to keep dogs on the track until the very end.”
“And while all of that is happening, another greyhound has lost her life.”
SAFE is particularly concerned that resources which could support the care, rehabilitation and rehoming of greyhounds are instead being directed towards sustaining racing activities during the industry’s final weeks.
“The priority should be ensuring every greyhound has a safe future after racing, but the industry appears determined to squeeze every last race out of the dogs still in its care.”
“If the industry’s final months were an opportunity to prove it had learned from its failures, it has squandered that opportunity.”
SAFE has written to Racing Minister Winston Peters seeking urgent clarification about the proposed export of greyhounds for continued racing and breeding and whether such activities are consistent with the purpose of the ban.
“When greyhound racing comes to an end, its legacy won’t be the prizemoney or the race wins.”
“It will be the dogs whose lives were cut short.”
“Diamond Harriot is one of them.”
Notes:
Greyhound racing in New Zealand is set to end on 31 July 2026, and it is estimated more than 1700 greyhounds will need to be re-homed once the industry closes
New Zealand Herald article regarding Greyhound Racing New Zealand lifting prize money if advance of ban
RNZ article regarding members of the greyhound racing industry exploring option of exporting greyhounds overseas to continue racing 
Latest GH injury and death statistics for 25/26 racing season:
Injuries: 556
Fractures: 57
Deaths: 8.
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Advocacy – Palestine Forum of New Zealand Calls for Withdrawal of Israeli Knesset-Linked Speaker from LIMMUD NZ

Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand

The Palestine Forum of New Zealand is calling on LIMMUD NZ to withdraw the invitation extended to Noa Lavi, a speaker with direct ties to the Israeli Knesset, from its upcoming event in Wellington on June 13–14.

The Palestine Forum of New Zealand wishes to be unequivocal: this call has nothing to do with Jewish identity, culture, or learning. We fully respect and support spaces dedicated to Jewish community engagement and education. Our objection is specific and principled in the inclusion of a speaker affiliated with an active political institution of a state currently subject to international legal scrutiny and widespread condemnation for its actions in Gaza.

LIMMUD promotes itself as a cultural and educational platform. Hosting a speaker with direct Knesset connections contradicts that purpose and risks making the event a platform for political representation and state-affiliated advocacy whether intended or not.

At a moment when Palestinian lives and rights are at the centre of global conscience, the Palestine Forum of New Zealand calls on LIMMUD NZ to:

  • Remove Noa Lavi from the programme, given her political affiliations.
  • Issue a public statement clarifying its policy on speakers connected to foreign political institutions.
  • Demonstrate genuine commitment to inclusivity by ensuring its events do not provide platforms for representatives of a state engaged in internationally condemned actions.

Silence or inaction will itself be a statement.

The Palestine Forum of New Zealand remains open to dialogue with LIMMUD NZ organisers.

Palestine Forum of New Zealand

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Insurance – Insurers call for Community Protection Levy to fund resilience before disaster strikes

Source: Insurance Council of NZ

The insurance sector is calling on all political parties to replace the current Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) levy with a simpler Community Protection Levy, redirecting funding into reducing natural hazard risk before disasters strike while moving FENZ to sustainable Crown funding.
“New Zealand needs to invest more in reducing risk before disasters happen,” Insurance Council of New Zealand (ICNZ) Chief Executive Kris Faafoi said.
“A Community Protection Levy would provide a simple, durable way to fund resilience, while ensuring FENZ has the secure Crown funding it deserves.
“FENZ plays a vital role in protecting communities and responding when disasters strike. But the current levy is too complex, too uneven, and no longer well suited to the risks New Zealand faces today.
Under the proposal, FENZ funding would move from insurance-linked levies to Crown funding, allowing around $600-700 million a year to be redirected into resilience and risk reduction.
The Community Protection Levy would be collected by insurers on behalf of the Government, ensuring a simple and efficient system for households and businesses.
This would replace the existing levy system, which currently applies different charges across homes, contents, commercial property and vehicles, making it more complicated than necessary and less suited to today’s risk environment.
“A Community Protection Levy would give New Zealanders a direct stake in reducing the risks they face,” Mr Faafoi said.
“ICNZ research shows 87% of respondents support acting early to protect communities from natural disasters. This levy would turn that support into funded, long-term projects that make a real difference.”
The case for investing earlier is clear. Every dollar invested before a disaster can return $5 to $8 in avoided losses, with recent New Zealand projects already demonstrating the benefits:
  • The $4 million Taradale stopbank helped protect communities during Cyclone Gabrielle.
  • The $15 million Awanui Flood Protection Scheme in Kaitaia is estimated to have already avoided around $50 million in damage.
“Councils are being asked to lead adaptation, but they need reliable funding to do it,” Kris Faafoi said.
“We cannot keep spending more on disaster recovery while underinvesting in prevention. Budget rules that treat resilience as invest-to-save would help close the gap.”
“The National Climate Adaptation Framework sets the direction, but it needs to be backed by sustained investment.
“By replacing the current FENZ levy with a Community Protection Levy, New Zealand can invest more consistently in reducing risk and better protecting communities before the next disaster hits,” Kris Faafoi said
Note: ICNZ is holding its annual conference at the Aotea Centre in Auckland on Thursday 4 June.
This year’s theme is Taking on Risk: Building Resilience Together and brings leaders from government, industry, and communities to focus on what can actually be done to reduce risk, build resilience, and keep insurance within reach for all New Zealanders. 
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Transport – SH2 Waioweka Gorge closure shows importance of road resilience investment

Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand

Road freight association Transporting New Zealand says that the ongoing closure of SH2 Waioweka Gorge highlights the importance of investing in road resilience projects.
The comments follow the Government's commitment of $400 million for state highway resilience projects in Budget 2026, aimed at helping keep critical transport routes open during and after severe weather events.
Transporting New Zealand estimates the closure of Waioweka Gorge costs freight operators and their customers more than $500,000 a week through additional travel distance, delays and disruption to supply chains.
The Budget funding package is expected to include resilience improvements for Waioweka Gorge, including slope stabilisation, rockfall protection, drainage upgrades and targeted works at critical sites through the corridor.
Transporting New Zealand Membership Manager Lindsay Calvi-Freeman says road closures come at a significant cost to local communities and businesses.
“As well as putting people in danger, road closures and extended detours associated with natural disasters come at a serious economic cost.”
“For example, Waioweka Gorge is a critical freight corridor, carrying large volumes of heavy vehicles and connecting businesses and communities across their regions.”
“When these regional roads are closed by severe weather, there are often few practical alternatives, particularly for freight operators working within delivery schedules and driver worktime requirements.”
“Members regularly raise concerns about the reliability of these corridors and the impact repeated closures have on freight movements and local businesses.”
“Transporting New Zealand has been advocating for major resilience works on vulnerable routes for years, so it was encouraging to see resilience funding included in the Budget.”
Transporting New Zealand is working with NZTA to help minimise disruption resulting from the ongoing SH2 Waioweka Gorge closure.
Transport resilience projects from Budget 2026
Final scopes and delivery timelines for individual transport resilience projects will be confirmed following further investigation, design and procurement work. Proposed works may be refined as projects progress.
North Island
– SH2 Waioweka Gorge resilience Likely to include slope stabilisation, rockfall protection, drainage improvements, and targeted works at critical sites through the gorge.
– SH3 Awakino Gorge resilience programme Expected to include slope stabilisation, improved drainage and culverts, small retaining walls, and works to reduce river erosion alongside the road corridor.
– SH26 Kirikiri Stream bridge replacement Replacement of the existing bridge with a higher, more resilient structure, alongside raising the highway approaches and upgrading the nearby SH26/SH25A intersection.
– SH25 corridor targeted resilience Resilience improvements at multiple high-risk sites around the Coromandel, likely including retaining works, drainage upgrades, slope stabilisation and road protection works.
South Island
– SH60 Tākaka Hill resilience Likely to include retaining wall upgrades, landslide monitoring, and improved stormwater and groundwater management at key risk sites.
– SH6 Cromwell to Frankton resilience Works across multiple sites including rock scaling and bolting, drainage improvements, retaining wall strengthening, localised widening, and reinforced road shoulders.
– SH6 Frankton to Kingston resilience Proactive slope stabilisation works including rock bolting, mesh protection, soil nailing, and targeted drainage improvements.
– SH6 Haast to Hāwea resilience Improvements across high-risk sites vulnerable to landslides, rockfall, river erosion, debris flows and road dropouts.
– SH94 Milford to Te Anau resilience Likely to include rockfall protection, slope stabilisation, rock armouring, and culvert and drainage improvements at key sites along the corridor.
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Health – Safe Sleep Day 2026: Making Every Sleep a Safe Sleep

Source: Hapai Te Hauora

Safe Sleep Day 2026 is bringing focus to one of Aotearoa's most devastating and persistent public health issues – the ongoing loss of pēpi to SUDI (Sudden Unexpected Death in Infancy).
Around 40-60 babies die from SUDI each year in Aotearoa. Māori and Pacific pēpi continue to be disproportionately affected, with the highest risk period occurring during the first four months of life.
Hāpai Te Hauora SUDI Lead Fay Selby-Law says Safe Sleep Day is an opportunity to bring communities together around a kaupapa that continues to impact whānau across Aotearoa.
“Most people know someone who knows someone who has been affected by SUDI.”
“We want everyone to care about this because every pēpi deserves the chance to grow up safely.”
Safe Sleep Day will be marked on Friday 5 June with a gathering at Ko Awatea Centre in South Auckland, bringing together providers and whānau to strengthen collective efforts around SUDI prevention. This event will also see the launch of Hāpai Te Hauora's Foundations for Safe Sleep online learning modules, designed to support the workforce with practical safe sleep education. While Safe Sleep Day serves as the focal point, Hāpai Te Hauora is dedicating the month of June to raising awareness of SUDI prevention through community events, storytelling, education and workforce development.
Activities will continue with a community weave-athon at Te Ao Hou Marae in Whanganui, celebrating the role of wahakura in safe sleep education and bringing whānau and weavers together to weave as many wahakura to donate to communities.
Selby-Law says continuing to invest in prevention and awareness remains critical.
“We know there are ways to reduce the risk of SUDI, and we know that sharing knowledge saves lives.
“Safe Sleep Day is one moment in a larger conversation. By keeping these messages visible throughout the month, we can help more whānau access the information, support and resources they need to keep their pēpi alive.”
Safe Sleep Day will be marked across Aotearoa on Friday 5 June under the message:
Make every sleep, a safe sleep.
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Amnesty International – Major cross-sector coalition calls for Government action on online harm

Source: Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand

Major Aotearoa New Zealand businesses, media organisations, professional bodies and community organisations have joined together to call on the Government to strengthen tech accountability for online harm.
This includes stronger digital accountability measures, including new transparency and accountability requirements, and an independent regulator with powers to oversee and enforce them.
The open letter, released today as part of a campaign led by Tāhono Trust and Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand, has been signed by organisations spanning banking, broadcasting, media, business and civil society.
Signatories include the New Zealand Banking Association, MediaWorks, Sky, and Screen Production and Development Association (SPADA), with additional organisations expected to join in the coming days.
The letter warns that harmful online activity – including scams, impersonation, misinformation, abuse and extremist content – is having a significant impact on communities, businesses and trust across Aotearoa New Zealand.
Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand’s Lisa Woods said the breadth of support reflects growing concern that current systems are failing to keep pace with the scale of online harm.
“This is not a problem affecting just one sector or one group of people,” said Woods.
Tāhono Trust’s Anjum Rahman said “These are issues that can't be solved by individuals or organisations. They require a systems-level approach that puts the responsibility on platforms to address serious issues impacting the whole of society.”
The open letter is calling on the Government to progress stronger transparency and accountability requirements for major digital platforms, alongside an independent regulator with powers to oversee and enforce them.
The letter outlines four key principles:
accountability,
transparency,
integrity, and
effective response pathways for harmful activity.
Woods said the campaign is not anti-technology, but about setting clear rules, processes and safeguards.
“Digital platforms now shape how we communicate, trade, learn and participate in society. In practice, they function as infrastructure,” she said.
“But there are major gaps in transparency and accountability online.”
The coalition argues that online harms are increasingly creating economic and social costs that are being carried by individuals, businesses and communities rather than the platforms themselves.
Rahman said the moment presents an opportunity for Aotearoa New Zealand to show leadership.
“Aotearoa New Zealand is small enough to move quickly and connected enough to work collaboratively,”
“We have an opportunity to build a safer and more transparent digital environment that strengthens trust, protects communities and supports a healthier democracy.”
The release of the letter follows increasing public and political attention on online harm, including the Education and Workforce Select Committee inquiry into the harm young New Zealanders encounter online.
Tāhono Trust and Amnesty International Aotearoa New Zealand are urging the Government to work with civil society, industry and affected communities to develop meaningful regulation that protects human rights while improving accountability across digital platforms.
“Online harm is not inevitable,” said Rahman.
“The systems shaping our digital lives can be designed differently. The question now is whether the Government is prepared to act.”
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Tech Events – Epson to showcase sustainable print and immersive display solutions for future-ready classrooms at EDUtech 2026

Source: Epson

On stand 313 from 3-4 June at the ICC Sydney – Epson will attend EDUtech 2026 at ICC Sydney, unveiling an integrated line-up designed to help schools and universities advance digitisation, creativity and inclusion across teaching and campus operations on stand 313.

Attendees can experience live demos of Epson’s WorkForce Enterprise AM-C4000 and WorkForce Pro EM-C800 office inkjet printers, and an EB‑PU2220B projector paired with a LX02S lens.

EDUtech is where principals, university executives, CIOs and IT leaders evaluate innovations aligned to buying cycles and long‑term digital strategies.

In turn, Epson’s portfolio addresses three priorities shaping Australian education:

• Digitisation and resilience: streamlined, secure print-and-scan workflows that support electronic records, exam packs and campus services

• Creativity and engagement: big, bright visuals that activate collaboration, inclusivity and active learning pedagogy

• Inclusion and sustainability: low-intervention devices that reduce downtime, lower energy and waste and support equitable access to content from anywhere in the room

On-stand highlights
WorkForce Enterprise AM-C4000

• A high‑speed business inkjet multifunction device for busy print rooms and admin hubs

• Ideal for schools who need fast, reliable output for assessments, newsletters, permission slips and records without the energy draw and consumables of laser

• Page-wide PrecisionCore printheads help cut energy use and reduce waste compared to toner devices, supporting sustainability targets and operating budgets

• Low heat technology enables quieter operation and fewer replacement parts, keeping learning spaces calm and IT workloads lighter

WorkForce Pro EM-C800

• A compact, efficient office inkjet printer designed for schools, educational facilities, departmental and front‑office environments

• Ideal for student services, libraries and faculties that require dependable day-to-day printing and scanning

• Quick first‑page out and low power consumption suit hybrid timetables and intermittent use

• Administrators can standardise on a common inkjet platform, simplifying fleet management and reducing total cost of ownership across campuses

EB‑PU2220B projector with LX02S lens

• A powerful, flexible installation projector paired with a short‑throw lens for large, bright images at shorter distances

• Ideal for lecture theatres, halls and experiential learning zones.

• The LX02S lens enables big, high‑impact visuals where throw distance is constrained delivering back‑row readability and cinematic clarity without the glare and viewing‑angle issues of flat panels

• Ideal for cross‑campus events, graduation stages, STEM showcases, arts exhibitions and more

Attendees to Epson stand 313 will learn how low-heat inkjet reduces energy use and consumables versus legacy laser fleets to help meet sustainability goals without compromising speed or performance.

There will also be an emphasis on right‑sizing strategies and how by placing the AM-C4000 in central hubs and EM-C800 in departments can give the best cost/performance mix.

Conversations will also be around event‑ready AV strategies that include pairing the EB‑PU2220B with the LX02S lens in order to create compelling, mobile experiences aligned with school calendars.

Built for learning, teaching, security, manageability and uptime, Epson’s education-focused approach includes secure network printing and scanning, admin-friendly management tools and minimal scheduled maintenance.

Then, fewer consumables and lower heat output support safer, quieter learning environments and reduce disruptions during critical assessment periods.

As a conference and exhibition EDUtech stands out for direct access to decision‑makers and immersive opportunities to exchange best practice. To that end Epson product specialists will host live demos and practical mini‑sessions throughout the show, giving attendees concrete takeaways they can apply on campus this term and next budget cycle.

EDUtech details

What: EDUtech Australia 2026

Where: ICC Sydney

When: Wednesday 3 June, 8:30am–5:00pm and Thursday 4 June, 8:30am–4.00pm

About Epson, Epson Australia and Epson New Zealand

Epson is a technology innovation and engineering company whose philosophy of efficient, compact, and precise innovation enriches lives and helps create a better world. The company uses technology and engineering ability to implement real-world solutions in precision innovation, industrial & robotics, office & home printing, and visual & lifestyle.

Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the worldwide Epson Group generates annual sales of more than JPY 1.3 trillion.

https://corporate.epson/en/

Epson Australia offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the commercial, industrial, consumer, business, photography and graphic arts markets, and is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) solutions for the retail market. Epson is the market leader in Australia and worldwide in sales of projectors for the home, office and education. Established in 1983, Epson Australia is headquartered in North Sydney and is a subsidiary of the Epson Group headquartered in Japan.

www.epson.com.au

 

Epson New Zealand offers an extensive array of award-winning image capture and image output products for the commercial, industrial, consumer, business, photography and graphic arts markets, and is also a leading supplier of value-added point-of-sale (POS) solutions for the retail market. Epson is a market leader in New Zealand, Australia and worldwide in sales of projectors for the home, office and education. Epson New Zealand is headquartered in Auckland and is a branch of Epson Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the Epson Group headquartered in Japan.
www.epson.co.nz

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Climate – Earth Sciences New Zealand Seasonal Climate Outlook June-August 2026

Source: Earth Sciences New Zealand

Earth Sciences New Zealand's Seasonal Climate Outlook for June to August 2026 is attached.
Highlights:
– The heavy rain events New Zealand has experienced over the past year are expected to become less frequent over the coming months. Areas impacted by these events are expected to shift to drier-than-usual conditions. These drier-than-usual conditions could create challenges for water-reliant sectors.
– Rainfall totals are likely to be near or below normal for the north of the South Island and the west of the North Island, and below normal for the remainder of the North Island and the east of the South Island.
– There is now a 95% chance of El Niño conditions emerging over the forecast period and peaking in the summer months, with potential for significant impacts (see https://news.fuseworksmedia.com/24f462bf-ab9e-4886-b254-5c963367562e).
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Advocacy – I Walked Through Palestine – PFNZ

Source: Palestine Forum of New Zealand (PFNZ)

Maher Nazzal – Walking into Palestine is not just a journey across geography it is a confrontation with memory, identity, and everything you were told, and everything you discover for yourself.

The first thing that stays with you is the wall. It does not feel like a distant structure you read about in reports; it rises suddenly into your view, stretching across the landscape like a scar that refuses to fade. Concrete slabs stacked high, covered in layers of paint, messages, names, grief, humour, and resistance. It divides not only land, but daily life. On one side, movement feels controlled, measured, observed. On the other, life continues stubbornly, beautifully, and painfully.

The borders are not just lines on a map. They are checkpoints, gates, pauses in time. You wait. You are asked. You move forward or you don’t. People pass through them with a kind of practiced patience that comes only from living a life where waiting is normal. And yet, even there, you see dignity in the eyes, in the silence, in the quiet determination to continue.

But Palestine is not defined by its restrictions.

It is defined by its people.

People who greet you as if you have always belonged there. People who carry history in their voices without needing to announce it. People who laugh in ways that refuse to be diminished. There is warmth that does not depend on comfort — it exists even in hardship. You hear stories in taxis, in shops, at doorways, in fields. Stories of loss, yes, but also of endurance, education, love, and return.

And then there are the trees.

Olive trees are older than nations. Their trunks twisted like they have been holding secrets for centuries. Some stand alone on rocky hillsides, others form quiet groves that feel almost sacred. They do not move quickly. They do not need to. They belong in a way that cannot be negotiated. Each tree feels like a witness.

The rocks are everywhere grey, pale, sharp, ancient. They shape the hills, the terraces, the pathways. They feel like the bones of the land itself, exposed and unhidden. And between them, the soil dry in some places, fertile in others holds both struggle and promise.

And the sand… especially when the wind carries it. It softens everything. It moves across roads, settles on stone, touches skin without asking permission. It reminds you that land is never still. It remembers everything that passes over it.

To visit Palestine is to realize that it is not a place that can be reduced to headlines or borders or walls. It is a living presence layered, wounded, resilient, and deeply human. It stays with you long after you leave, not as a memory you can place neatly in the past, but as something that continues to speak inside you.

Maher Nazzal

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Animal Welfare – VAWA releases world-first code of ethical conduct for virtual fencing

Source: Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa


VETERINARIANS FOR ANIMAL WELFARE AOTEAROA (VAWA) RELEASES WORLD-FIRST CODE OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR VIRTUAL FENCING
As global adoption of virtual fencing technology rapidly expands, VAWA publishes a landmark standard and calls for the industry to self-regulate.
Dunedin, New Zealand – Today, VAWA has released its Code of Ethical Conduct for Virtual Fencing Technology, a comprehensive framework addressing a significant animal welfare regulatory gap that exists across jurisdictions where virtual fencing technology (VFT) is in commercial use.
Virtual fencing uses GPS-enabled collars to manage animals without physical boundaries, delivering audio and vibration cues, and then electric shocks for non-compliance, to contain and move animals. Despite being applied to hundreds of thousands of animals worldwide, the development and use of VFT remains largely unregulated from an animal welfare perspective. The Code provides animal welfare Safeguarding Standards covering animal research, welfare and learning, application and training, and self-regulation. The Code is an interim solution aimed at protecting animal welfare given a pressing regulatory gap.
VAWA's key recommendation is the establishment of a Virtual Fencing Manufacturers' Association (VFMA) to drive meaningful industry self-regulation. Historically, a similar industry body was successfully involved in developing standards for electric fencing. The VFMA would develop best practice industry standards that set an acceptable baseline for existing manufacturers, and any newcomers to the market. A truncated, companion document, Critical Safeguarding Standards for the VFMA, has also been released as a proposed starting point for discussion amongst manufacturers via the VFMA.
Sarah Adams (general manager, Gallagher Animal Management) says, “We strongly support the development of clear, evidence-based standards and welcome initiatives that set a high bar for the industry. Ongoing collaboration, transparency and rigorous research will be critical to ensuring virtual fencing continues to deliver positive outcomes for animals, farmers and the environment. We look forward to working alongside researchers, regulators and industry to help shape best practice as this technology continues to develop.”
To generate social licence to operate, the Code also recommends establishing transparency requirements, including publication of how much and how often electricity is used, and how that is structured (that is, the details of what the industry calls the ‘pulse train’). “What we don’t want,” says Dr Helen Beattie, VAWA’s Managing Director, and co-author of the Code, “is for newcomers to start from below what we already know is the necessary baseline. That is not fair to animals. For example, unlike what has played out in recent history, all newcomers should have animal welfare expertise embedded in their development processes, and quality research to back their claims.”
VAWA consulted with SPCA, farmers, animal welfare scientists, and other experts in developing the Code, as well as manufacturers. While some manufacturers responded constructively and engaged with VAWA's concerns, others dismissed the initiative – a response VAWA says underscores the urgent need for the independent standards the Code proposes. “Batting away an ethical code that serves the animals wearing the devices, risks kicking a larger animal welfare can down the road – once commercialised, it becomes much harder to address any issues. We have the chance to embed a protective code now, near the start – doing it right and doing it once.” Dr Beattie says.
Notably, the Code acknowledges that innovation is already responding to welfare concerns. Drover, a virtual fencing startup has designed an ear-tag system using electrical muscle stimulation. Because this approach targets muscles rather than electricity in a conventional shock sense, VAWA sees this as a promising direction for the industry.
Mandi McLeod, who co-authored the Code, is an animal welfare and farm management consultant with a special interest in cattle behaviour. She says, “Done well, virtual fencing presents opportunities and benefits, including enabling a deeper understanding of cattle behaviour. At the moment, it is not known whether VFT influences social hierarchies or nodes that support collective herd behaviour and long-term welfare. These aspects of their use should be explored, as animals’ mental health matters to their overall welfare.”
The Code draws on international regulatory developments, including Australia's move to harmonise VFT regulation across states, the UK Animal Welfare Committee's 2022 opinion on VFT, and New Zealand's existing animal welfare legislation. This initiative underscores VAWA’s commitment to advancing ethical farming practices that prioritise animal welfare while supporting careful innovation in agriculture.The Code of Ethical Conduct and the Critical Safeguarding Standards are available at https://www.vawa.co.nz/post/vawa-virtual-fencing.
Dr Beattie is the Managing Director of Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa, a veterinary-led group of animal welfare advocates which aims to create better lives for animals. She was previously Chief Veterinary Officer at the NZ Veterinary Association.
NOTES:
VAWA’s vision is to create “A Good Life for All” by creating influence through advocacy, submissions, education, consultation, and collaboration. Led by veterinarians, and as the only group of animal welfare advocates using expertise in veterinary and animal welfare science that is not compromised by commercial or vested interests, VAWA provides a uniquely, independent perspective on animal welfare.
Full Statement from Gallagher Animal Management:
Gallagher eShepherd welcomes VAWA’s Code of Ethical Conduct for Virtual Fencing Technology and the ongoing focus on animal welfare as the technology evolves.
Animal welfare is fundamental to everything at Gallagher eShepherd. It underpins how we design, test and implement our technology, and reflects what we believe the future of farming should look like.
We strongly support the development of clear, evidence-based standards and welcome initiatives that set a high bar for the industry. Ongoing collaboration, transparency and rigorous research will be critical to ensuring virtual fencing continues to deliver positive outcomes for animals, farmers and the environment.
We look forward to working alongside researchers, regulators and industry to help shape best practice as this technology continues to develop.
Source: Sarah Adams, General Manager, Global Strategy and New Ventures, Gallagher Animal Management.