Wellington individuals, businesses, schools and teams raised a grand total of $20,511.60 for Wellington SPCA on the inaugural SPCA Cupcake Day held on 31 August.

Several Wellington businesses were keen to participate in the fundraiser. Soi Cafe & Bar on Evans Bay Parade baked cupcakes for the SPCA to sell at its stand on Lambton Quay, local cupcake business Tempt (Old Bank Arcade) baked animal-themed cupcakes for sale on the day, Cafe Iona baked and sold cupcakes at their Manners Street cafe, and Jennifer Gordon from Red Herring Catering had a stall at Animates with her dog Pip. Staff from commercial law firm Simpson Grierson were particularly energetic, baking cupcakes and selling them to workmates, and running competitions.

At Korokoro School, room 4 pupils baked and iced more than 500 cupcakes for the fundraiser. When the idea was first proposed, it was thought that $100 might be raised.

“In the end, the figure was over $800,” said acting principal Martin Hookham. “For a school population of 130 students, this is quite an achievement – about $6 per student. To put this in perspective, if our whole country donated a similar amount, the money raised would equate to roughly $24 million!”

Peter Mason, executive director of Wellington SPCA, thanked everyone who helped to make SPCA Cupcake Day a success for Wellington SPCA. “Several of our staff were in their kitchens until the early hours of the morning, baking hundreds of cupcakes for us to sell. SPCA staff were also out on Lambton Quay on Cupcake Day. We sold nearly 500 cupcakes.”

He predicts that next year’s event will be bigger and better. “We’ve run the pilot and know what to do. I can see this going from strength to strength.”

Wellington SPCA chief inspector Ritchie Dawson was part of a World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) led disaster response team which travelled to Samoa to assist the hundreds of dogs and cats caught up in the devastating tsunami that hit on 30 September, and to provide emergency food for the surviving animals.

The team has distributed hundreds of cans of cat and dog food to the six worst-hit villages, provided by WSPA member society the Animal Protection Society of Samoa (APS). WSPA’s disaster management veterinary coordinator Juan Carlos Murillo and APS veterinarian Skye Turner accompanied the team to provide emergency treatment to animals, along with advice for owners to ensure their future well-being.

The dogs are especially hungry. Many of the people who once fed them did not survive the tsunami, and those who managed to escape are now surviving on food provided by the aid agencies. As a result, there are few food scraps left and the villages desperately need these supplies for their animals. Tiumalu Amakisa, mayor of Saleaamua village, said, “Thank you so much for your donation. Thank you for what you do for us and our country.”

Hill’s Pet Nutrition (NZ) Ltd also donated 2 tonnes of its Hill’s Science Diet dog food, which has been distributed to villagers for their animals. NZAid helped to secure freight space on a flight from Auckland to Samoa that left on 7 October.

The team met an extremely lucky family in Ulutogia who managed to escape unharmed from the tsunami, thanks to their dog. “He sensed the water coming and started barking. Thankfully, the family looked to see what had frightened him and saw the wave coming. Their houses were destroyed but the people were able to escape with their two young children, their dogs and their neighbours too,” said WSPA New Zealand’s regional manager and chair of the National Animal Welfare Emergency Management Group, Melissa Brown.

Wellington SPCA chief inspector Ritchie Dawson has travelled to Samoa as part of a New Zealand animal welfare disaster response team.

The team, led by World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) disaster management veterinary coordinator Juan Carlos Murillo, also includes Auckland SPCA inspector Vicki Border, MAF senior advisor Dr Roger Poland, and WSPA programmes manager Bridget Vercoe.

The team is currently assessing the situation in Samoa. Its first task will be to assess how many animals have been affected, and provide emergency veterinary care to those in need. Emergency feed will be sourced if required. The people of Samoa are heavily reliant on their cattle, pigs and chickens. The islands also have a significant dog population.

Wellington SPCA executive director Peter Mason said that he was pleased to make Ritchie Dawson available for the team, noting that Ritchie had completed an intensive WSPA disaster management training course in Costa Rica last year and will now be able to apply the skills he learned. “Ritchie is the SPCA national coordinator for disaster management, and represents the SPCA on the National Animal Welfare Emergency Management group. Animals were often the forgotten victims of disasters, yet their survival and wellbeing was critical for the recovery of the communities which rely on them,” he said.