Source: SAFE For Animals
Following a formal complaint lodged over ten months ago, SAFE says the Coalition Government has failed to address concerns over Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard’s oversight of animal welfare.
SAFE’s original complaint pointed to a pattern of decisions under Minister Hoggard’s watch that it says prioritised industry interests over animal welfare, including the proposed reversal of the live export ban, the continued use of farrowing crates despite a High Court ruling, and Minister Hoggard’s prominent public endorsement of rodeo. The animal rights organisation says these examples raise serious concerns about conflicts of interest, industry influence, and the extent to which independent advice on animal welfare has been disregarded.
SAFE Campaign Manager Emily Hall says the substantive concerns outlined in their formal complaint warrant proper scrutiny and consideration.
“Our formal complaint reflects what we have consistently seen under Minister Hoggard’s oversight of the animal welfare portfolio, with industry capture going unchecked and animal welfare repeatedly being sidelined.”
After lodging the complaint with the Prime Minister’s Office in November 2025 and subsequently raising the matter directly with Agriculture Minister Todd McClay, SAFE says there has been no action, investigation, or meaningful engagement with the evidence it provided.
SAFE later escalated the matter to the Office of the Auditor-General, citing concerns about accountability and failures in the Government’s response process.
Hall says the issue has become about more than the original complaint.
“We’ve followed every appropriate process available to us, but ten months down the line we haven’t seen any meaningful action or investigation into the serious concerns raised about Andrew Hoggard’s oversight of animal welfare.”
SAFE maintains the evidence underpinning its complaint has not been properly examined, and that responses from Government officials have focused on dismissing the complaint rather than addressing its substance.
“The issue is now not only about the complaint itself, but also the refusal to address the issues raised” says Hall.
“These are serious concerns about the integrity of New Zealand’s animal welfare system and the extent to which industry interests could be shaping decisions on animal welfare at ministerial level.”
SAFE believes the lack of action raises broader questions about whether New Zealand’s animal welfare system contains adequate safeguards against industry influence. The organisation points to its recent call for Federated Farmers Vice President Sandra Faulkner to step down from the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (NAWAC), maintaining that senior leadership roles within industry lobby groups are incompatible with positions intended to provide independent animal welfare advice.
According to SAFE, both situations point to a wider pattern which risks undermining public confidence in animal welfare decision making.
“A strong animal welfare system must be independent, transparent and accountable, but the current system is failing animals” says Hall.
SAFE continues to call for the animal welfare portfolio to be reassigned while the concerns regarding Minister Hoggard are investigated, maintaining that the Government’s failure to meaningfully engage with the complaint is now a matter of public accountability.
“This case really highlights what is fundamentally wrong with New Zealand’s animal welfare system” says Hall.
“When industry interests are allowed significant influence over animal welfare decision making and serious concerns can be ignored without proper examination, public confidence in the system is seriously undermined.”
SAFE is Aotearoa’s leading animal rights organisation.
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Notes for editors
Timeline
- 10 Nov 2025: Formal complaint submitted to: Christopher Luxon – Prime Minister Winston Peters – Leader, NZ First David Seymour – Leader, ACT Todd McClay – Minister of Agriculture Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
- 20 Nov 2025: ‘No action’ response from PM’s office
- 2 Dec 2025: Follow up correspondence to PM’s office
- 2 Dec 2025: Letter sent to directly to Todd McClay (Minister of Agriculture)
- 5 Dec 2025: ‘No action’ confirmation from PM’s office
- 2 June 2026: Second letter to Todd McClay (Minister of Agriculture)
- 2 June 2026: Lack of response/process concerns escalated to the Office of the Auditor-General