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Auckland, June 17, 2017
SPCA delegates today voted to form one national organisation from its current 45 independent centres.
The delegates voted at the RNZSPCA Annual General Meeting and the move will create a unified and future-focused national entity.
RNZSPCA Chief Executive (Acting) Andrea Midgen said that the decision enables the creation of one SPCA in New Zealand, working together to help prevent cruelty to animals.
Higher achievement
“The decision to move to a unified SPCA was made after two years of discussions and consultation. Ultimately the SPCA centres knew that our previous structure was not sustainable or fit-for-purpose. As one SPCA we can achieve more for our country’s most vulnerable animals than we could as a fragmented organisation.
“Now we can do more to prevent cruelty to animals in New Zealand. We will be able to create a stronger SPCA Inspectorate and we will have one strategy and one voice. As one organisation, we will be able to access centralised funding opportunities and benefit from economies of scale – enabling us to have the resources to do more for the animals,” she said.
Good animal care
Ms Midgen said that with consistency and collaboration across the country SPCA can ensure that every animal gets the best care possible, no matter where they are in New Zealand.
She said that the move to one SPCA is not about creating a centrally-controlled organisation, or closing any SPCA centres. It is a genuine effort to bring a national organisation together to work as a team and get the right outcome for every animal in New Zealand.
“The focus of every SPCA across the country will not change: we want to help animals in need and support our communities. Local support for the animals is as important as ever and we urge New Zealanders to continue to get behind the great work of their local SPCA,” Ms Midgen said.
ABOUT SPCA
The Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has a federated structure of 45 individual centres, each with its own Chief Executive or Centre Manager and governing committee or board. The current national office oversees the Inspectorate and manages national fundraising campaigns such as the SPCA Cupcake Day but has no mandate to manage the individual Centres.
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