6 October 2007 Media Statement

“Judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals”

Opening a new RSPCA Animal Shelter in Christchurch today, Agriculture Minister Jim Anderton said the occasion was about more than the building itself. “We are paying tribute to the ceaseless job of making sure animals are treated humanely. It’s a job that the RSPCA has been doing since 1824, and the urgency of this work doesn’t diminish.”

The new facility will have a fulltime education officer from next year and Jim Anderton stressed the importance of educating the public about the care of animals. “The more we can educate people, the less we will need enforcement. And, more importantly, it means we are intervening before animals are avoidably harmed.”

He also noted that there is no provision in the law to prosecute people who are cruel to wild animals. “That is unacceptable. We can’t have senseless laws that make life in the outdoors a legal minefield, but there must be some way to react against moronic acts of cruelty,” Jim Anderton said, calling for ideas that could provide a solution.

The Wilmers Road shelter replaces the old, overcrowded facility and has been made possible by public donations. “This is a project that serves a wide community,” Jim Anderton said. “It’s no wonder that the more than a thousand members and supporters were able to raise over fifty thousand dollars.”

He quoted the 18th century German philosopher Immanuel Kant. “‘He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals.’ I’m sure that’s true,” Jim Anderton said. “If we have a compassionate approach to animals, we can be compassionate to people.”

New Zealand’s strong reputation over the issue of animal welfare has seen several New Zealanders appointed to international bodies. The President of the SPCA, Peter Mason, has been appointed to the Executive Board of the World Society for the Protection of Animals. Barry O’Neil, the head of MAF Biosecurity, is President of the World Organisation for Animal Health, and David Bayvel, Director of MAF’s Animal Welfare Group, is chairing that organisation's Permanent International Animal Welfare Working Group.

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