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Animal Welfare Act 1999

4: Definition of physical, health, and behavioural needs

You could also call this:

"What animals need to be healthy and happy"

When you think about an animal's needs, you need to consider what is required for it to be healthy and happy. This includes having proper and sufficient food, proper and sufficient water, and adequate shelter. You also need to make sure the animal can display normal patterns of behaviour and is handled in a way that minimises pain or distress.

The animal needs protection from injury or disease, and any problems need to be diagnosed quickly. All these needs are important for the animal's species, environment, and circumstances. You can find more information about changes to this law in the Animal Welfare Amendment Act (No 2) 2015.

The law is in place to ensure animals receive the care they need, and this includes all the things that make an animal's life comfortable and healthy. You should be aware that the law has been updated, and you can find the updates in the Animal Welfare Amendment Act (No 2) 2015. The updates were made to improve animal welfare.

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This page was last updated on

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM50286.

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Environment and resources > ConservationHealth and wellbeing > Food and water safety
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4Definition of physical, health, and behavioural needs

  1. In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires, the term physical, health, and behavioural needs, in relation to an animal, includes—

  2. proper and sufficient food:
    1. proper and sufficient water:
      1. adequate shelter:
        1. opportunity to display normal patterns of behaviour:
          1. physical handling in a manner which minimises the likelihood of unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress:
            1. protection from, and rapid diagnosis of, any significant injury or disease,—
                1. being a need which, in each case, is appropriate to the species, environment, and circumstances of the animal.

              Notes
              • Section 4(a): replaced, on , by section 7 of the Animal Welfare Amendment Act (No 2) 2015 (2015 No 49).
              • Section 4(ab): inserted, on , by section 7 of the Animal Welfare Amendment Act (No 2) 2015 (2015 No 49).