$64 million Budget package would transform animal welfare across Aotearoa

The Animal Justice Party Aotearoa New Zealand (AJP) is challenging all parties in Parliament to back up their rhetoric with action, calling on MPs to "steal our stuff" and adopt fully costed Budget commitments for animals.

The party's 2026 Budget Submission outlines a comprehensive $64 million annual investment (0.04 percent of the government's $150 billion operating Budget – about four cents in every hundred dollars) that would transform how Aotearoa treats animals, with targeted funding for rescue organisations, a national VetCare scheme for low-income families, and large-scale desexing programmes.

"We're inviting every party to adopt our proposals," said Party Co-Leader Rob McNeil. "Animals don't care which party funds their vet bill or saves them from cruel treatment – they care that someone acts. We've done the work and the numbers. Now it's time for Parliament to deliver."

Real baseline funding for rescues and sanctuaries
Animal rescue organisations and sanctuaries currently are a backbone of the animal welfare system through donations, while under constant pressure and volunteer burnout. The AJP submission calls for:

• $5 million per year in ringfenced baseline funding for animal rescues, covering items including infrastructure upgrades, staffing, veterinary care, rehabilitation, and dedicated grants
• $1.5–2 million in emergency animal response funding to include animals in Civil Defence planning, evacuations, and disaster response

"Right now, animals are being left behind in floods and fires because they're not part of official emergency planning," Rob added. "This funding would change that."

National VetCare scheme: No family should have to choose
The proposed $7 million per year national VetCare scheme would ensure lowincome animal guardians can access desexing, microchipping, vaccinations, and essential veterinary care through:

• Subsidised treatment for low-income families
• Vet and desexing clinics operating in highneed communities
• Partnerships with rescue organisations and iwi/Māori and Pasifika providers

"No family in Aotearoa should have to choose between feeding their kids and saving their dog or cat," said Rob. "This scheme ensures help reaches the people and animals who need it most."

Prevention over killing: Desexing and fertility control at scale
The submission prioritises desexing and fertility control as a backbone of humane population management for companion animals and wildlife. Largescale desexing programmes are embedded across several initiatives, including the VetCare scheme, council pound reform, feral cat management reform, and research funding for nonlethal fertility control methods.

This approach reduces intake pressure on pounds and rescues, cuts longterm animal control costs, and replaces endless killing and poisoning with prevention and genuine coexistence.

A modest ask: Four cents in every hundred dollars
The total package represents approximately $63.5 million per year in operating funding, or roughly 0.04 percent of the government's $150 billion operating Budget – about four cents in every hundred dollars.

"With over 95 percent of sentient beings in Aotearoa being nonhuman animals, this is a small, overdue step toward aligning public spending with the values New Zealanders say they hold," said Rob.

The Animal Justice Party is calling on the Government and all parliamentary parties to adopt these proposals and include specific dollar figures for animal welfare in their Budget bids and fiscal plans. Concrete plans, not just policies.

"We've done the work. We've run the numbers. Now we're asking Parliament to step up, steal our best ideas, and finally deliver a Budget that recognises animals as sentient beings, not disposable property."

Everybody has a wishlist, yet political parties seeking an edge in the election would do well to support animal issues - with the massive followings of animal organisations, “a few bucks for animals” can go a long way to reducing suffering and gaining support.

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