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New Zealand law explained for everyone

Animal Welfare Act 1999

Offences - Further provisions relating to offences

165: Liability of directors and officers of bodies corporate

You could also call this:

"Company bosses can be guilty too if they let animal welfare rules be broken"

If you are a director or help manage a company and the company breaks a rule in the Animal Welfare Act 1999, you can also be guilty of the same offence. This happens if it is proved that the thing that broke the rule happened because you said it was okay, or you allowed it to happen. You can also be guilty if you knew or should have known the rule was being broken and you did not do everything you could to stop it.

If you are in charge of a company, you have a responsibility to make sure the company is not breaking any rules in the Animal Welfare Act 1999. You must take steps to prevent the company from breaking the rules. If you do not, you can be guilty of an offence, just like the company.

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View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=DLM51915.

Topics:
Environment and resources > Farming and fishingHealth and wellbeing > Public health
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Part 8Offences
Further provisions relating to offences

165Liability of directors and officers of bodies corporate

  1. Where any body corporate is convicted of an offence against this Act, every director and every person concerned in the management of the body corporate is guilty of the like offence if it is proved—

  2. that the act that constituted the offence took place with his or her authority, permission, or consent; or
    1. that he or she knew or should have known that the offence was to be or was being committed and failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent or stop it.