The Rodney Local Board is now the only local board in Auckland which continues to host rodeo on land under their management. The Warkworth Rodeo occurs every New Years Day at Warkworth Showgrounds. This is a decision made by the local board. Each year the controversy and public debate heightens around rodeo and its inherent animal welfare issues. Modern perspectives on the treatment of animals is causing rodeo's social license to wear thin. A 2018 report by the New Zealand Animal Law Association found rodeo to be illegal in New Zealand. Former Green Party MP Gareth Hughes tabled a private members bill that will amend the Animal Welfare Act to outlaw the rodeo activities that cause the most pain and distress to animals - specifically calf roping, steer wrestling and the use of flank straps. Every year since 2016, large protests have been held outside the Warkworth Showgrounds during the Warkworth Rodeo event. Over the 2018/19 rodeo season, three horses and one bull lost their lives in New Zealand rodeo arenas. Rodeo stands out in our country amongst events using animals, as being the only practice where animals are intentionally goaded and harassed to show behaviours they would normally only display under extreme stress. It has already been banned in parts of Europe, Australia, Brazil, Canada and the U.S, and there is a partial ban in the U.K. Animal abuse in the guise of entertainment is no longer acceptable in modern society. There is no place for rodeo in New Zealand. References: NZALA Press Release; “Rodeo is Illegal” http://nzala.org/nzala-press-release-21-march-2018/ Green Party of New Zealand Aotearoa: Let's outlaw the worst rodeo practices https://www.greens.org.nz/rodeo_animals_protection_bill Political Roundup: Should rodeos be banned in New Zealand? by Bryce Edwards https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12192026 *Your information will be shared with Direct Animal Action and ActionStation who will get in contact from time to time about this campaign and others. You are free to opt out at anytime.*

In New Zealand, we have standards for how we expect all animals to be treated. But when we export animals overseas, we expose them to unknown horrors. As animal lovers, we find the live export trade completely unacceptable. In 2018, New Zealand exported 2,820,320 farmed animals alive. Day-old chicks are taken to farms that cram chickens into small cages in a way that would be illegal in New Zealand. Cows are shipped while pregnant and are often taken to concrete factory farms to give birth, where they are kept for years to be milked. In 2003, New Zealand ended the live export of farmed animals for slaughter. However animals still regularly leave New Zealand’s boundaries and suffer many unknown fates. Once the animals are no longer commercially “useful” they are slaughtered. Most countries that New Zealand exports to do not require stunning prior to slaughter. This means that their throats are slit while they are still conscious. SIGN the petition asking our Government to prohibit the live export of farmed animals to countries that have lower animal welfare, transport and slaughter standards than New Zealand. READ about SAFE's call to end live export: http://bit.ly/LiveExportReview WATCH to learn about the animal welfare disaster in Sri Lanka: http://bit.ly/LiveExportVideo DONATE to help our petition grow: http://bit.ly/DonateLiveExport By signing this petition your information will be shared with SAFE who will get in contact from time to time about this campaign and others. You are free to opt out at anytime.