Tlācatl yoliztli tlanahuatil, tlalli tlayōcoyān tlamachtiliztli īhuān xihuitl ītechcopa tlanamaca in Yancuīc Zālan
Yancuīc Zālan ce tlācatl hueyi tlacalaquiliztli campa tlalli tlayōcoyān quipiya ītechcopa tlanamaca īhuān tlayōcoyān, inic nochi tlācatl tlanahuatil ītechcopa tlācatl quimochīhuilia ce tlanamaca tlanahuatil. Ītlācatl yoliztli tlanahuatil hueli tlahcuilōlli īhuān quimochīhuilia tlahcuilōlli tlanahuatil ītechcopa National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee.
Key facts
- World Animal Protection index
- B — Explicit sentience recognition, cage phase-out and a mulesing ban.
- Tlamantli tlen ōmochīuh
- 7
- Bans tlen ōmochīuh
- 5 tlen 7
- Región
- Oceania
Tlen ōmochīuh ban, tlen ōmochīuh tlen ahmo huel ticchīhua ahnozo tlen huel ticchīhua
Sentience
since 2015Recognised in the Animal Welfare Act since 2015
The 2015 amendment states in its purpose that animals are sentient, and strengthened enforcement powers.
Battery cages
since 2022Conventional cages phased out by the end of 2022
Colony cages remain legal; several supermarkets have committed to fully cage-free supply chains.
Mulesing
since 2018Prohibited since 2018
New Zealand went further than Australia, banning the practice entirely.
Live export by sea
Banned in 2023, reversal proposed
The ban followed the Gulf Livestock 1 sinking in 2020. A later government signalled intent to reinstate the trade with new standards.
Sow stalls
since 2015Banned since 2015
Farrowing crates remain permitted, and a 2020 High Court ruling found the relevant regulations unlawful, prompting a review.
Cosmetics testing
Banned since 2015
Testing finished cosmetic products and ingredients for cosmetic purposes is prohibited.
Bobby calves
Transport and slaughter rules tightened
Regulations set maximum transport times and prohibit killing calves by blunt force, after public reaction to undercover footage.
No production subsidies, but an unresolved emissions bill
New Zealand abolished agricultural production subsidies in the 1980s and remains one of the least subsidised farm sectors in the OECD. The policy question is instead emissions: agriculture produces close to half of gross national emissions, and successive schemes to price them — He Waka Eke Noa, then a proposed levy — have been redesigned or delayed.
OECD producer support estimate
Agriculture share of gross emissions
Dairy cattle
Dairy share of goods exports
Plant-based naming under the joint food code
New Zealand shares the Food Standards Code with Australia, so dairy naming restrictions apply while meat-style names for plant-based products remain permitted. Fair Trading Act rules against misleading conduct are the main constraint on how products are presented, and FSANZ approval governs novel foods including cultivated meat.
- Meat-style names permitted with clear plant-based labelling
- Dairy names restricted by the Food Standards Code
- Fair Trading Act misleading-conduct rules apply to all claims
- No statutory definition of 'vegan'; private certification is used
- Novel and cultivated foods require FSANZ pre-market approval
Tlen monequi ticchīhua
- 1
Decision on whether live export by sea resumes under new standards
- 2
Review of farrowing crate regulations following the High Court ruling
- 3
Design of an agricultural emissions pricing mechanism
Tlamachiyōtl tlen quichīhua
Tlahtoltin tlen tlācatl quitemoa
Does New Zealand law recognise sentience?
Yes. The Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2015 states explicitly in the purpose provision that animals are sentient.
Are battery cages banned in New Zealand?
Conventional cages were phased out by the end of 2022. Colony cages are still permitted, though several retailers have gone further voluntarily.
Is live export banned?
It was banned by sea in 2023, but a subsequent government announced plans to reinstate the trade under new welfare standards, so the position is in flux.
Does New Zealand subsidise farming?
Almost not at all — production subsidies were removed in the 1980s and its OECD producer support estimate is among the lowest globally.
Can plant-based products be called milk?
No. The joint Australia-New Zealand Food Standards Code reserves dairy names, so plant products are sold as beverages or drinks.
Tlamachiyōtl tlen ōmochīuh
Occequīntin tlālli
Reviewed 2026-08-23 by the Veg.ac editorial team · Data: Animal Welfare Act 1999 (as amended) · Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with a link back.
Tlamachiyōtl tlen ahmo quipia tlamachiyōtl miac ōmochīuh īpan 2026, ahmo ley. Leyes mopatla — xicpōhua tlen ōmochīuh achto ticchīhua.