Close-up of a white rescue chicken standing on grass, looking into the camera. There is a pile of wood and a blue hose in the background. — Image credit – Jinki Cambronero.

Marianne smiling holding a white feathered rescue chicken.

Marianne Macdonald
Executive Director

Marianne has thirty years of experience working as an animal advocate both in the UK and Aotearoa.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Life Science, specialising in Ecology, from the University of West London and a Master’s in Marine Biology from Bangor University in North Wales.

Marianne ran her own business for over 20 years in Auckland, as a Neuromuscular Therapist and Mind Coach. She spent four years as a Therapeutic Massage Diploma tutor at Wellpark College and worked for three years as the Executive Officer of industry body Massage New Zealand.

She has worked with several animal organisations, including as both a researcher and campaigner for the National Anti-Vivisection Society in London and as a Campaigns Manager and then Head of Campaigns with SAFE. Marianne spent seven years on the governance board of SAFE.

She is a fellow of the Australian Progress Fellowship for leading advocates, campaigners, organizers and changemakers across the Australian and New Zealand social sectors.

Mona smiling holding a white feathered rescue chicken

Mona Oliver
Operations Director

Mona has a background in political campaigning. She has worked on four election campaigns for the Green Party in New Zealand and Australia.

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Policy, and in 2019 completed a Certificate of Proficiency in Animal Law.

As an animal welfare campaigner, Mona worked directly with the legal team who won a ban on farrowing crates at the High Court. She assisted with research, Statement of Claim and witness statements in that case. She also worked on the live export petition in 2019 that received over 30,000 signatures in support of the ban.

Jennifer Dutton
Corporate Relations Specialist

Jennifer is an experienced corporate negotiator for improvements in animal welfare. For several years, she represented the global coalition, Open Wing Alliance, in New Zealand as she worked at SAFE, focussed on leading the food service and retail sector away from cage eggs (battery and colony). The team successfully engaged with the major supermarkets to secure commitments to phase out all cage eggs, with a future of only stocking higher welfare alternatives.

She is a freelance writer and researcher with a background in event planning, charitable fundraising, film, TV commercial and documentary production. She holds a Bachelor’s in Broadcasting Communications majoring in journalism and has won global awards while representing New Zealand for two years in competitive debate.

Clare Shufflebotham
Campaigns Director

Clare has a background in community-led campaigns, including campaigns for climate and social justice. She has been involved in campaigns against factory farming since the late 1990s. Her work in the animal welfare sphere has included documentation of animal exploitation, protest and boycott coordination, legal submissions, and project and event management.

She holds a Master’s in Documentary Practice, and a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art, both of which focused on transformative communication, ethics, action and collective engagement.

Clare leads the campaign team and a network of dedicated volunteers and supporters, spanning the country from Auckland to Queenstown, to support Animals Aotearoa’s change-making with both in-person and digital efforts.

Molly, kneeling on the grass with her hand under the chin of a black and white Fresian cow, with other gor in the background.

Molly Tamulevich
Corporate Relations Specialist

Molly has worked in animal welfare for over twenty years across Mexico, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. She is interested in the relationships between human and non-human animals, and in how cultural, legal and political institutions can better protect animals.

She holds a master’s degree in Human-Animal Studies and Community Sustainability from Michigan State University and previously served as Michigan State Director for Humane World for Animals, where she worked at the intersection of animals and politics.

At Animals Aotearoa, Molly uses her experience in advocacy and strategy to conduct corporate outreach and support the team in creating a more humane world for chickens.

She also serves on the boards of Attorneys for Animals and Leuk’s Landing Feline Leukemia Rescue, and volunteers with Sydney Wildlife Rescue.

Belinda in a veterinary consulting room. She is smiling. A brown and white lop-eared rabbit is lying on a white towel on the table in front of her.

Belinda Oppenheimer
Veterinary Science Advisor

Belinda is a veterinarian and animal welfare professional with 15 years of experience working in the animal welfare sector. Graduating with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science with Honours in 2013, Belinda has endeavoured to use her veterinary degree and knowledge to advocate for change in a multitude of animal industries.

While her first clinical love is in animal shelter medicine, she also has a special interest in the less commonly kept animal species, and solidified this knowledge by becoming a Member via examination of the Australian and New Zealand College of Veterinary Scientists in the field of Medicine and Surgery of Unusual Pets in 2019.

Belinda currently splits her time between clinical practice, animal advocacy and education roles, and volunteering with a range of animal charities. She is currently President of Animal-Free Science Advocacy and Secretary of Sentient, the Veterinary Institute for Animal Ethics.

Em Stokes
Intern

Em has a background in event planning and organising, bringing awareness to and raising funds for animal charities and nonprofits.

She completed university coursework in philosophy and then genetics before deciding animal advocacy was her true passion.

She has volunteered with a range of advocacy organisations, serves on several committees and, in early 2025, stood as a state candidate for the Animal Justice Party in Western Australia.

Em’s work is guided by the principles of effective altruism and suffering-focused ethics, with a commitment to reducing animal suffering and creating meaningful change.

Animals Aotearoa Board

The members of the Animals Aotearoa Board have a wealth of expertise in non-profit governance, human resources, veterinary science, chicken husbandry, campaign strategy, law, IT and more.