Today (26 August), one hundred parcels addressed to Prime Minister Christopher Luxon appeared at Parliament, 60 of them stamped “RETURN TO SENDER”, one for each of the 60% of pig meat eaten in New Zealand that is imported from farming systems New Zealand has banned as cruel. Campaigners say the installation marks years of government inaction.
A banner above the parcels, placed by animal advocacy organisation Animals Aotearoa, reads: “The PM keeps signing for cruel imports.” The parcels coincide with billboards in Wellington calling out the double standard.
New Zealand’s ban on sow stalls came into force in 2016 and battery cages from 2023. Products from those same systems can still be imported and sold on supermarket shelves alongside local products. Almost all pork imported into New Zealand comes from countries that still allow sow stalls, according to analysis by Animal Policy International, which is working with Animals Aotearoa.
“The Prime Minister has been signing for cruelty for years – so today New Zealanders stamped his mail and returned it to sender,” says Marianne Macdonald, Executive Director of Animals Aotearoa. “The government didn’t end the cage – they offshored it. Kiwis wanted sow stalls banned because they’re cruel, and we’ve been unwittingly buying the same cruelty back ever since.”
“Chris Luxon has been presented with every reason to act: a report documenting the gap; polling showing wide support; a petition from the pork industry itself; and a member’s bill sitting in Parliament’s ballot since May 2025 that his Government could adopt tomorrow. But it has committed to nothing.”
A Horizon Research poll (September 2024) found over 80% of New Zealanders agree imported products should respect the same animal welfare standards applied in New Zealand. Curia Market Research polling of farmers (April 2026) found 79% of farmers agree.
“In March we put it on billboards and asked the Prime Minister to get his head out of the sand. His head is still there. That’s why this is an election issue now,” says Macdonald. “With just weeks until New Zealanders vote, every party should tell voters where they stand: will they create one standard for all products sold on the market and stop cruel imports? If Chris won’t act, every other party is welcome to show him how it’s done. There is a simple principle: if it’s too cruel to produce here, it’s too cruel to import.”
The EU Commission has recently recommitted to requiring certain imported animal products to meet its own welfare standards with legislative proposals expected by the end of this year.
The Animal Products (Closing the Welfare Gap) Amendment Bill, that went into the biscuit tin in May 2025, would enable minimum welfare standards to be set for animal products sold in New Zealand. The current, or future, Government could also adopt the policy through a bill of its own on this issue.
High resolution photos of the action.
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