Animal Welfare Act 1999

Introduction

You could also call this:

"Protecting Animals from Harm and Poor Treatment"

Illustration for Animal Welfare Act 1999

This law is about making sure animals are treated well. You need to know that animals can feel things, like pain and happiness. The law says people who own animals or take care of them must make sure they are treated properly. The law explains what you can and can't do to animals. It also talks about using animals for research, testing, and teaching. There is a process to approve this kind of use. The law sets up two special groups: the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee. These groups help create rules for treating animals well. The law also gets rid of an old law called the Animals Protection Act 1960. This new law replaces the old one to better protect animals.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM49663.

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Highlights from this law




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1: Short Title and commencement, or

"What the Animal Welfare Act 1999 is called and when it started"

Animal Welfare Act 1999

Reprint as at:
2025-12-17
Assent:
1999-10-14
Commencement:
see section 1(2)

The Parliamentary Counsel Office has made editorial and format changes to this version using the powers under subpart 2 of Part 3 of the Legislation Act 2019.

Note 4 at the end of this version provides a list of the amendments included in it.

This Act is administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries.


An Act—

  • to reform the law relating to the welfare of animals and the prevention of their ill-treatment; and, in particular,—
    1. to recognise that animals are sentient:
      1. to require owners of animals, and persons in charge of animals, to attend properly to the welfare of those animals:
        1. to specify conduct that is or is not permissible in relation to any animal or class of animals:
          1. to provide a process for approving the use of animals in research, testing, and teaching:
            1. to establish a National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee and a National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee:
              1. to provide for the development and issue of codes of welfare and the approval of codes of ethical conduct:
              2. to repeal the Animals Protection Act 1960