Activists Protest NZ National Dairy Industry Awards Again

Following a large and noisy coalition of groups protesting the 2023 National Dairy Industry Awards in Auckland, and again in Queenstown 2024, event organisers only recently announced their event at a more secluded spot near Mt Maunganui, Tauranga.

A coalition of animal rights, social and environmental justice groups are gathering again in opposition to this year’s National Dairy Industry Award ceremony, being held at Mercury Baypark in Tauranga on Saturday, 10th May.

The coalition say they are protesting the awards ceremony to highlight the dairy industry’s complicity in distracting, delaying and derailing action to regulate the industry’s environmental pollution and to highlight the dairy industry’s annual slaughter of around 2 million bobby calves.

“It’s outrageous for the dairy industry to host an awards night while profiting from systemic cruelty. This is an industry built on the exploitation of vulnerable animals - where mothers are forcibly separated from their calves, where sentient beings are treated as machines, and where short, confined lives end in slaughter. On top of that, dairy contributes significantly to climate breakdown, waterway pollution, and the mistreatment of workers. This self-congratulatory event is not a celebration - it’s a tone-deaf attempt to distract from the immense suffering and harm the industry causes every single day. There is nothing here to applaud,” stated Elin Arbez of Animal Save Aotearoa.

“We respect people’s right to make a living on the land but not at the expense of our waterways and climate. The NZ dairy industry has devastated this country’s waterways and is our number one climate polluter, yet they continue to fight legislation to bring in any real protections and to urgently bring down greenhouse gas emissions. Minimal riparian planting is not enough. We must massively reduce stock numbers, end urea, PKE and blood phosphate use, and move away from export markets. We’re tired of this industry’s debt-laden economic model pushing our kids out of the country. The future is in rebuilding healthy rural communities based on sustainable local food, timber and fibre needs,” said Tuhi-Ao Bailey of Climate Justice Taranaki.

“Freedom For The Animals NZ (Akld) will be going to the National Dairy Industry Awards with the view that the dairy industry is the worst farming practice of them all. Mother cows are forcibly impregnated, babies removed from their mothers and bobby calves are slaughtered within just a week of birth. We think this cruel and unnecessary industry should be closed down and will be doing everything in our power to achieve this. All animals' lives matter,” said Deno Stock of Freedom for the Animals.

The coalition will gather outside the venue prior to the awards ceremony and intend to express their opposition peacefully as attendees arrive. The groups say they intend on continuing to organise, confront and hold the dairy industry to account for the harm it is causing.

The coalition invites members from the local Tauranga community who support their opposition to the Dairy awards to join their protest in solidarity.

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