The new Animal Welfare Act Amendment Bill is underway now and it’s not helping animals nearly enough. Help make factory farmed animals’ voices heard here…

This page makes it easy.  Click here to make your submission.  It will only take a few minutes.

Now available in most supermarkets in NZ!  Classic Burgers, Southern Style Burgers, Dippers, Pieces, Sausages, Cheese and Spinach Schnitzels, Mince and Crispy Fillets.

How can you make people aware that the meat they are eating was once a living creature? This humorous video shows a clever idea that seems to work with most people. Just watch the horrified looks on many faces.

Direct link: Meat That’s Too Fresh

No meat: Raupo Riverside Cafe workers Ben James and Diana Kovacs are extending their 30-day vegan diet.

Staff at Raupo Riverside Cafe expect “crazy, vegan man” Ben James to turn up for work in a robe and sandals next.

The Blenheim sous chef has decided to stick with his vegan diet after a 30-day pledge that was to finish on Monday.

Mr James said he was feeling full of life and had lost a couple of kilos despite eating five times a day.

“You have smaller meals, more often but you don’t feel bogged down.”

Mr James decided to go vegan for September with colleague Diana Kovacs and Hotel d’Urville chef de partie Thomas Cresswell.

A vegan diet takes vegetarianism a step further, excluding all animal products, including dairy and honey. Some practitioners extend the practice beyond food, and do not wear animal products.

Ms Kovacs gave up alcohol and coffee too, which Mr James said was just lunacy.

She had planned a glass of bubbles and carrot cake on Monday morning along with a cup of coffee while wearing leather shoes.

But after a tiny slice of carrot cake, her favourite, Ms Kovacs didn’t want any more. “I’m so open to this lifestyle,” she said. “But I think you turn a little bit crazy [about being vegan].”

Mr James was amazed by the number of people in Marlborough intrigued by veganism and its health benefits, he said.

“I’ve had so many phone calls and emails wishing us well and hoping I’ll do it for longer. Someone came over from Nelson to lend me a recipe book.”

A vegan family from Invercargill heard about his month-long challenge and stopped in Blenheim to offer their support, he said.

They were on their way to Wellington to protest outside a cafe that served Foie gras, he said.

“Which is beautiful by the way, but I didn’t tell them that.”

Mr James was trying to persuade his boss at Raupo to have a vegan menu one night a week. It would be full of tasty, seasonal food that even meat eaters would love, he said.

The chef advised any potential vegans to start taking meat and dairy out of their meals gradually.

“Just be careful you are getting the nutrition you need,” he said. “There are so many great recipes and information online but it takes about two weeks before you start to notice the difference.”

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/7767319/Vegan-experiment-continues

New Zealand depends on its reputation for high standards of animal welfare. However, like the nation’s ‘100% Pure’ brand, this reputation is more aspiration than substance, as there are holes in the regulatory system, little enforcement and a serious lack of funding for animals. You can turn the negatives into positives for the millions of New Zealand animals: in the wild, in the lab, in entertainment, and on the farm.

This is your chance to have your say and vote for a nation that is truly a world leader in animal welfare! Simply go to http://animalwelfare.org.nz/ to send your submission.

There is a guide to writing your own submission here for your convenience http://safe.org.nz/Animal-Welfare-Act/.

Help NZ Vegetarian Society Inc raise money by doing the occasional survey by email. Every time you complete a survey we’ll get paid for it!

Click this link to sign up: BuzzThePeople

When you do the surveys you’ll also have the chance to win prizes with monthly give aways and the occassional big prize (they’ve given away 3 cars, laptops, iPhones and iPad + 3 lots of $10,000 cash over the same period)

Buzz runs surveys for all sorts of organisations ranging from Government departments to ad agencies and media companies, you can unsubscribe at any time you like and they never use our member details for any promotional offers.

Richmond Foods Ltd, who produce the Vegetarian Society Approved pastry – savoury and sweet – have advised that they have had to, out of necessity, amend the ingredients in their New Way Vegetarian Sweet Short Pastry Sheets because of the numerous customer complaints of excessive shrinkage of the pastry when baked. 

The new formulation contains contains butter, so is no longer suitable for vegans.  This applies to the Sweet Short Pastry only, the ingredients in the savoury pastry sheets remain unchanged. 

For the second year, the Vegetarian Week promotes a contest, to highlight the benefits of the vegetarian lifestyle. The total value of prizes is more than 170 euros, courtesy of EVANA, Midzu and VegDining.  Anyone can submit one or more contributions (essays, posters, cartoons, slogans, etc.).
All contributions are welcome.  The deadline is 9 September.  Submit your contribution(s) and good luck!

Read the contest Guidelines and submit your contributions:
http://www.vegetarianweek.org/Page-25-Vegetarian+Week+contest+Guidelines.html

GO VEGAN - a new, national organisation dedicated to growing the vegan population of New Zealand - is running an essay competition. GO VEGAN is looking for moving, well-written essays by New Zealanders explaining why they are vegan, and the ways in which veganism benefits humans, animals and/or the planet.

You are invited to submit an essay. Entries should be no longer than 1000 words. The winning essays will be published on the upcoming website for a new, national vegan outreach project currently in development. There may also be an invitation to speak publically on the topic, and we would offer the winning essays for publication in the New Zealand Vegetarian Society and Vegan Society magazines. We would also offer the winning entry for publication in newspapers and magazines across New Zealand, Australia, the UK and the US. When you submit your essay you are giving us permission to do so.

Essays must be submitted by 31 July, 2012 to info@govegan.org.nz    Further information or any queries – contact info@govegan.org.nz