Animal Welfare Act 1999

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2 Interpretation
  • (1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—

    Accredited reviewer means a person accredited under section 109 to carry out independent reviews under section 105

    Aircraft has the meaning given to it by section 2 of the Civil Aviation Act 1990

    Animal

    • (a) Means any live member of the animal kingdom that is—

      • (i) A mammal; or

      • (ii) A bird; or

      • (iii) A reptile; or

      • (iv) An amphibian; or

      • (v) A fish (bony or cartilaginous); or

      • (vi) Any octopus, squid, crab, lobster, or crayfish (including freshwater crayfish); or

      • (vii) Any other member of the animal kingdom which is declared from time to time by the Governor-General, by Order in Council, to be an animal for the purposes of this Act; and

    • (b) Includes any mammalian foetus, or any avian or reptilian pre-hatched young, that is in the last half of its period of gestation or development; and

    • (c) Includes any marsupial pouch young; but

    • (d) Does not include—

      • (i) A human being; or

      • (ii) Except as provided in paragraph (b) or paragraph (c) of this definition, any animal in the pre-natal, pre-hatched, larval, or other such developmental stage:

    Animal establishment means a place at which animals are used or held in the charge of any person, and which has, as its principal purpose, the using or holding of animals for display, sport, entertainment, temporary care, sale, conservation, scientific study, or other activity

    Animal welfare export certificate means an animal welfare export certificate issued under section 46

    Appointed member means,—

    • (a) In relation to the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, a member of the Committee who is appointed under section 58(2)(a) or section 58(2)(b); and

    • (b) In relation to the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee, any member of the Committee:

    Approved organisation means an organisation declared, under section 121, to be an approved organisation for the purposes of this Act

    Associated animal means, in relation to an animal that is manipulated, an animal that—

    • (a) Is of the same species and is from the same flock, herd, or other group as the animal that is manipulated; and

    • (b) Is in the immediate care of the veterinarian who carries out the manipulation:

    Auxiliary officer means an auxiliary officer appointed under section 125

    Blistering, in relation to a horse, means a procedure which involves the application of chemical cautery to the legs of the horse and which creates tissue damage to, or an inflammatory reaction in, the legs of the horse

    Code holder, in relation to a code of ethical conduct, means—

    • (a) The person who, by virtue of an application under section 87, obtained the Director-General's approval of that code; or

    • (b) Where the approval of that code has, with the consent of the Director-General, been transferred under section 93(1) to any other person, that other person:

    Code of welfare means a code of welfare issued under section 75

    Controlled surgical procedure means—

    • (a) The develvetting of a deer; or

    • (b) Any other surgical procedure which is performed on an animal and which is, under section 16, declared to be a controlled surgical procedure:

    Crops, in relation to the ears of a dog, means the performance on the pinnae of the ears of the dog of a surgical procedure that is designed to make the ears of the dog stand upright

    Device means any electrical or electronic thing (not being a trap) that is used for the purpose of killing, managing, entrapping, capturing, entangling, restraining, or immobilising an animal; and includes any contraption, process, or thing that is declared by the Governor-General by Order in Council, made on the recommendation of the Minister after consultation in accordance with section 184, to be a device for the purposes of this Act

    device: this definition was amended, as from 19 December 2002, by section 3(1) Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 53) by inserting the words ; and includes any contraption, process, or thing that is declared by the Governor-General by Order in Council, made on the recommendation of the Minister after consultation in accordance with section 184, to be a device for the purposes of this Act.

    Director-General means the chief executive of the Ministry

    Enforcement order means an enforcement order made under section 144; and includes an enforcement order made without notice in accordance with section 148

    Firing, in relation to a horse, means a procedure which involves the application of thermal cautery to the legs of the horse and which creates tissue damage to, or an inflammatory reaction in, the legs of the horse

    Hunt or kill, in relation to animals, includes—

    • (a) Hunting, fishing, or searching for any animal and killing, taking, catching, trapping, capturing, tranquilising, or immobilising any animal by any means:

    • (b) Pursuing or disturbing any animal;—

    and hunting or killing has a corresponding meaning

    Ill-treat, in relation to an animal, means causing the animal to suffer, by any act or omission, pain or distress that in its kind or degree, or in its object, or in the circumstances in which it is inflicted, is unreasonable or unnecessary

    Infringement offence means—

    • (a) An offence against—

    • (b) Any offence (being an offence against regulations made under this Act) that is declared, by regulations made under this Act, to be an infringement offence for the purposes of this Act:

    Inspector means an inspector appointed under section 124(1) or section 124(2); and includes every member of the police

    Manipulation, in relation to an animal, has the meaning given to it by section 3

    Marae

    • (a) Means—

      • (i) Land which is set apart for the purposes of a marae or meeting place under section 338 or section 341 of Te Ture Whenua Maori Act 1993 (Maori Land Act 1993) or any corresponding former provision and which is used for the purposes for which it is set apart; or

      • (ii) Maori freehold land on which a Maori meeting house is erected; and

    • (b) Includes all buildings, such as the wharenui (meeting house), the wharekai (dining room), the ablution blocks, and other associated buildings, situated on, or adjacent to, land of the kind described in paragraph (a)(i) or paragraph (a)(ii) and used for the purposes for which the land is so set apart:

    Marine mammal has the meaning given to it by section 2(1) of the Marine Mammals Protection Act 1978

    Marine wildlife has the meaning given to it by section 2(1) of the Wildlife Act 1953

    Marking, in relation to an animal, means—

    • (a) Marking that animal by any method for the purpose of distinguishing that animal or animals of that type from others; and

    • (b) Includes affixing or applying to, or implanting in, that animal, for the purpose of distinguishing that animal or animals of that type from others, any band, ring, clip, tag, electronic identification device, or paint, or any other thing:

    Minister means the Minister of the Crown who, under the authority of any warrant or with the authority of the Prime Minister, is for the time being responsible for the administration of this Act

    Ministry means the department of State that, with the authority of the Prime Minister, is for the time being responsible for the administration of this Act

    National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee means the National Animal Ethics Advisory Committee established by section 62

    National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee means the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee established by section 56

    Nicking, in relation to a horse, means the cutting of the skin or ligaments of the tail of the horse, being a cutting that is designed to make the horse carry its tail in a raised position

    Non-human hominid means any non-human member of the family Hominidae, being a gorilla, chimpanzee, bonobo, or orangutan

    Owner, in relation to an animal, includes the parent or guardian of a person under the age of 16 years who—

    • (a) Owns the animal; and

    • (b) Is a member of the parent's or guardian's household living with and dependent on the parent or guardian:

    Person includes a corporation sole, and also a body of persons, whether corporate or unincorporate

    Person in charge, in relation to an animal, includes a person who has the animal in that person's possession or custody, or under that person's care, control, or supervision

    Pest means—

    • (a) Any animal in a wild state that, subject to subsection (2), the Minister of Conservation declares, by notice in the Gazette, to be a pest for the purposes of this Act:

    • (b) Any member of the family Mustelidae (except where held under a licence under regulations made under the Wildlife Act 1953):

    • (c) Any feral cat:

    • (d) Any feral dog:

    • (e) Any feral rodent:

    • (f) Any feral rabbit:

    • (g) Any feral hare:

    • (h) Any grass carp:

    • (i) Any Koi or European carp:

    • (j) Any silver carp:

    • (k) Any mosquito fish:

    • (l) Any animal in a wild state that is a pest or unwanted organism within the meaning of the Biosecurity Act 1993:

    Physical, health, and behavioural needs, in relation to an animal, has the meaning given to it by section 4

    Prohibited device means a device declared under section 32(1)(a) to be a prohibited device for the purposes of this Act

    Prohibited trap means a trap declared under section 32(1)(a) to be a prohibited trap for the purposes of this Act

    Project means—

    • (a) Any experiment, or series of related experiments, forming a discrete piece of research; or

    • (b) A protocol for the carrying out of routine manipulations within a specified period; or

    • (c) Any experiment or demonstration, or series of related experiments or demonstrations, undertaken for teaching purposes:

    Research, testing, and teaching has the meaning given to it by section 5

    Restricted surgical procedure means—

    • (a) The debarking of a dog (the performance on the vocal chords of a dog of a surgical procedure intended to reduce the noise the dog is capable of emitting); or

    • (b) The declawing of a cat (the removal from the foot of a cat by a surgical procedure of the whole or part of 1 or more of the claws of the cat); or

    • (c) The docking of the tail of a horse; or

    • (d) Any surgical procedure which is performed on an animal and which is, under section 16, declared to be a restricted surgical procedure:

    Road includes any motorway, street, private road, access way, private way, or service lane, and every bridge, culvert, ford, gate, or other thing belonging to any road

    Safari park has the meaning given to it by section 2(1) of the Wild Animal Control Act 1977

    Ship has the meaning given to it by section 2(1) of the Maritime Transport Act 1994

    Significant surgical procedure has the meaning given to it by section 6

    territorial authority means a territorial authority within the meaning of the Local Government Act 2002

    Territorial authority: this definition was substituted, as from 1 July 2003, by section 262 Local Government Act 2002 (2002 No 84). See sections 273 to 314 of that Act as to the savings and transitional provisions.

    Threatened species has the meaning given to it by section 2(1) of the Biosecurity Act 1993

    trap

    • (a) means a net, cage, snare, pen, pitfall, or mechanical or adhesive thing used for the purpose of killing, entrapping, capturing, entangling, restraining, or immobilising an animal; and

    • (b) includes any contraption, process, or thing that is declared by the Governor-General by Order in Council, made on the recommendation of the Minister after consultation in accordance with section 184, to be a trap for the purposes of this Act; but

    • (c) does not include—

      • (i) any fenced area of land or other effective enclosure used for handling, herding, or mustering an animal; or

      • (ii) any animal housing system used routinely or commonly in farm or other animal production systems; or

      • (iii) any enclosure, such as a cage, that is being used for transporting an animal; or

      • (iv) a firearm.

    trap: paragraph (a) of this definition was amended, as from 15 November 2000, by section 3 Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2000 (2000 No 51) by inserting the words or adhesive.

    trap: this definition was substituted, as from 19 December 2002, by section 3(2) Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2002 (2002 No 53).

    Vehicle has the meaning given to it by section 2(1) of the Land Transport Act 1998

    veterinarian means a veterinarian or a specialist within the meaning of section 4 of the Veterinarians Act 2005

    veterinarian: this definition was substituted, as from 22 December 2005, by section 105 Veterinarians Act 2005 (2005 No 126).

    Wild animal has the meaning given to it by section 2(1) of the Wild Animal Control Act 1977

    Working day means any day except—

    • (a) Saturday, Sunday, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Labour Day, the Sovereign's Birthday, and Waitangi Day; and

    • (b) A day in the period commencing on 20 December in any year and ending with 15 January in the following year.

    (2) The Minister of Conservation must not declare an animal to be a pest for the purposes of this Act unless he or she is of the opinion that the fulfilling of responsibilities or functions of the Director-General of Conservation or the Minister of Conservation or the Department of Conservation under—

    • (c) Any other Act or regulations—

    requires the declaration to be made.

    (3) Any notice under this section declaring an animal to be a pest for the purposes of this Act may be at any time amended or revoked by the Minister of Conservation by a subsequent notice published in the Gazette.

    Compare: 1960 No 30 ss 2, 3(2)(ii); 1971 No 48 s 2; 1983 No 141 s 2; 1987 No 20 s 2