New Zealand 2022 – Amendment Act – ban on livestock sea exports
Law & Regulation
In Effect
September 29, 2022
Summary
On 29 September 2022, the Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2022 received Royal Assent in New Zealand, amending the Animal Welfare Act 1999 to prohibit the export of livestock by sea from 30 April 2023. The Act applies to all voyages from any New Zealand port commencing on or after 30 April 2023 and covers sheep, cattle, deer, and goats regardless of the stated purpose of export — breeding or slaughter. No exemptions or applications for livestock sea exports are considered under the amended Act. Exports of live animals by air remain permitted under existing regulatory requirements. The Act was introduced to the House of Representatives on 20 September 2021, received its third reading on 28 September 2022, and was supported by the Labour and Green parties; the National and ACT parties opposed it and indicated intention to review the ban if in government. The cessation of all livestock sea exports on 30 April 2023 is documented in a separate Development record.
Background Context
Before the 2022 amendment, live export of livestock by sea for slaughter had not occurred from New Zealand since 2008, but sea export of farmed animals — primarily cattle for breeding — continued under regulatory conditions requiring animal welfare export certificates administered by the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). In September 2020, the Gulf Livestock 1, carrying cattle exported from New Zealand to China, sank with the loss of approximately 6,000 cattle and 41 crew members, intensifying scrutiny of live sea export and contributing to the political context for the ban — documented in a separate Development record. In April 2021, Cabinet announced that New Zealand would phase out and ban livestock sea exports with a two-year transition period to allow existing contractual and breeding commitments to be completed — documented in a separate Development record. During parliamentary consideration, submissions were received from livestock exporters, farming interests, and animal-advocacy organisations including SAFE and SPCA New Zealand. The chosen end date of 30 April 2023 was based on contractual arrangements and breeding cycles, intended to allow export of calves from animals already mated before the ban date.
System Impact
Direction
Reduces Exploitation
Type
Alters Legal Basis
Significance
High
The Animal Welfare Amendment Act 2022 amends the Animal Welfare Act 1999 to state that after 30 April 2023 no livestock may be exported from New Zealand by sea. MPI export guidance confirms that the trade of exporting livestock by sea has been banned since April 2023 and that any reinstatement would require statutory amendments and new exporter obligations. The prohibition applies regardless of purpose — breeding or slaughter — and covers all four named species: sheep, cattle, deer, and goats. Live export for slaughter by sea had not occurred from New Zealand since 2008; the primary trade affected was cattle exported for breeding, primarily to China. Exports of live animals by air, including cattle, day-old chicks, and aquatic animals, continue under existing regulatory requirements. Enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, including the amended provisions, is carried out jointly by MPI, the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RNZSPCA), and New Zealand Police. As of 2024–2026, the coalition government has signalled work toward potential reinstatement of livestock sea exports for breeding purposes with strengthened requirements, but no amending legislation has been enacted.
Anticipated Effects
If the prohibition remains in force without amendment, the number of livestock exported from New Zealand by sea would remain at zero, permanently closing that trade channel for as long as the Act stands.
If the coalition government proceeds with legislation to reinstate livestock sea exports for breeding as signalled, any reinstated trade would operate under new statutory requirements and exporter obligations distinct from the pre-2022 regulatory framework; the scale and species scope of any reinstated trade would depend on the terms of that legislation.
If animals previously exported by sea are redirected to air export, the total number of live animals exported from New Zealand may not decline proportionately to the sea export cessation; the net effect on exploitation scale depends on the extent of air export substitution, which is not quantified in sources consulted.
Significance Rationale
Assigned Reduces Exploitation (impact direction) because the Act removed the legal basis for a continuing trade channel — livestock sea export — that had been operationally active for cattle prior to 2023. All livestock sea exports from New Zealand ceased on 30 April 2023 following the Act’s coming into force; MPI guidance states that no applications for such exports will be considered and that no exemptions exist. The scale change is structural within its scope: the specific channel of sea export is eliminated with no provision for reinstatement without new legislation. The redirection question is not fully resolved in available sources: exports of live animals by air remain permitted, and it is unclear to what extent animals previously exported by sea have been redirected to air export or retained domestically rather than removed from the export system entirely.
Assigned Alters Legal Basis (impact type) because the primary mechanism of this record is the statutory prohibition on a previously lawful trade activity — the legal instrument that removes sea export from the set of permitted activities. The consequent scale change in animals exported is operationalised from 30 April 2023 and is documented in the cessation record.
Assigned High significance because New Zealand was the first country to enact a complete legislative ban on livestock sea exports with no exemptions; the Act permanently closes that trade channel absent future legislative amendment, representing a structural legal change to the exploitation system. The quantitative scale of the trade prior to 2023 — volumes of cattle exported annually — is not precisely documented in sources consulted and advocacy estimates (“hundreds of thousands” over time) should not be treated as verified figures.
Within The System
Key Actors
The Animal Welfare Amendment Bill was a government bill led by Hon Damien O’Connor, Minister of Agriculture in the Sixth Labour Government. The New Zealand House of Representatives passed the bill with Labour and Green Party support on 28 September 2022; Royal Assent was granted the following day. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) administers the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and implements the prohibition through control of export certification. Animal-advocacy organisations including SAFE for Animals, SPCA New Zealand, World Animal Protection New Zealand, FOUR PAWS, and Animals Australia campaigned for the ban over multiple years and publicly documented the legislative change. Livestock exporters, breeding stock operators, and shipping and logistics firms were directly subject to the prohibition. Specific exporting companies and shipping lines are not named in statutory or primary government materials consulted.
Editorial Correction Notice
Scale & Prevalence: The advocacy estimate of “hundreds of thousands” of animals affected over time originates from World Animal Protection New Zealand and is not independently verified by official trade statistics in sources consulted. Annual head-count data for cattle exported by sea from New Zealand in the years immediately before 2023 would provide a more precise scale figure; New Zealand Customs Service or MPI trade statistics would be the authoritative source.
Current status: The coalition government has signalled work toward potential reinstatement of livestock sea exports for breeding purposes with strengthened requirements; as of March 2026, NGO sources report that plans to reinstate have been paused for the current parliamentary term and the ban continues to apply. This record’s current status should be updated if amending legislation is introduced or enacted.
Redirection: It is unclear to what extent animals previously exported by sea have been redirected to air export or retained domestically. This gap affects the precision of the Reduces Exploitation classification, which reflects cessation of the sea export channel rather than a confirmed net reduction in total live animals exported from New Zealand. Air export data from MPI would address this gap.
Related records: The Gulf Livestock 1 sinking (September 2020), the Cabinet announcement of the ban decision (April 2021), the live export cessation (30 April 2023), and the government’s confirmation that the ban will not be repealed (March 2026) are each documented in separate Development records forming the complete NZ live export sequence.
Affected animals — Deer: The Animals CPT record for Deer should be confirmed before publication. Deer are farmed in New Zealand for venison and velvet antler; the CPT record existence requires verification. It needs to be created if different species to Musk Deer.
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