'Bounty-based slaughter': Cat welfare advocates move to stop school hunt

Author: NZ Herald,
Publish Date: Tue, 7 Jul 2026, 1:54pm

Animal welfare advocates have launched an urgent legal push to stop a controversial cat-killing category at an upcoming hunting competition, warning it could put pets at risk and expose organisers to legal and reputational consequences.

Former regional councillor Kathy White and NZ Cat Foundation founder Anne Batley-Burton are among a coalition of animal and child protection advocates calling for the category to be removed from this weekend’s North Canterbury Hunting Competition, which raises funds for the Rotherham School pool and facilities.

The group has issued formal liability notices to the school’s board of trustees, arguing its support of a competition where cats can be targeted creates animal welfare and child safeguarding concerns.

“Bounty-based slaughter will incentivise the catching of any cat, including pets,” White said.

A screenshot from a video posted by the North Canterbury Hunting Competition showing a feral cat being pursued by dogs. Image / Facebook

“We know from watching videos of previous hunts that people pay little attention to checking the cat for a microchip.”

She claimed footage from previous events showed animals were not always properly identified before being killed.

“One video of a dog about to catch a cat cuts out just as the dog is about to tear the cat apart. Not only do they have no idea if the cat is a pet, but there are serious Animal Welfare Act breaches, and we want it stopped.”

The group also says the school fundraising hunts may conflict with New Zealand’s obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCROC), arguing children should not be exposed to violence against animals.

A letter from an international law firm, signed by several animal and child protection organisations, states the events are “inconsistent with the Government’s international law obligations under UNCROC”.

The letter has received support from groups including the Humane Education Trust, Flora and Fauna Aotearoa, and overseas organisations including Network for Animals and Fondation Brigitte Bardot.

The advocates have also challenged claims the cat hunt contributes to conservation, arguing targeting feral cats could worsen pest problems.

White cited a forensic audit of the Department of Conservation’s pest control programme, which she said highlighted concerns about the ecological impacts of large-scale culling campaigns.

Nationwide, it is estimated that feral cats kill up to 100 million birds each year while also predating vulnerable native lizards and spreading disease among livestock. Photo / 123RF

“The audit shows that mass culling campaigns actually trigger aggressive ‘rat surges’ due to ecological vacuum effects,” she said.

“As a wild cat’s preferred diet is rats [81% on average], including feral cats in any hunting competition is highly likely to create a bigger environmental problem such as rat or rabbit plagues.”

The coalition is calling on the North Canterbury Hunting Committee to remove the feline category and is urging councils to support humane alternatives, including Trap-Neuter-Return programmes and organisations working to rehabilitate and rehome feral cats.

Organisers of the North Canterbury Hunting Competition have previously promoted the event as a way to manage pest species and raise money for community projects.

Competition organisers are being approached for comment.