Wildlife officers at the Roadshow

Liv and Louise took off for Wellington on Tuesday to attend an Animal Rescue Roadshow. This was a great opportunity to meet with people from the SPCA, MPI (Ministry for Primary Industries), Companion Animals NZ and other agencies.

The purpose of these roadshow workshops is information sharing, discussion and collaboration between the parties, with the planned outcomes of working together for the betterment of the animals in our communities. All of the parties attending are dedicated to open discussion and working together for change.

The top challenges that many agencies face are the misrepresentations/expectations from the public due to what agencies can and cannot do, funding, the use (or not) of powers available, resources and addressing values. These issues and many others were all up for discussion and looking at ways in which to positively move forward.

Liv & Louise gained more skills/knowledge with understanding the Animal Welfare Act and the Temporary Housing of Companion Animals code. A really important part of the day was understanding more about the legal side of what the MPI and SPCA are able to do and different ways in which to help educate the public on their roles and responsibilities with their animals.

Collaboration between agencies is a strong focus for Hawkes Bay Bird and Wildlife Rescue so this roadshow was a perfect addition to the training already being undertaken by these two.

The trip has finished off with a well deserved trip to Wellington Zoo before heading back to Hawkes Bay. Well done ladies, we look forward to hearing more about it soon.