Monday 5th November marked the Annual General Meeting for Wellington SPCA for the 2010/2011 financial year.

The 55 assembled members and visitors were welcomed by Chair Theresa Gattung, who opened the meeting by reflecting on the previous 12 months.

Theresa stated that a lot of positive change had occurred since the 2010 AGM, with a new Board elected to ensure that the Society moves forward in a sustainable way.

Theresa said that the two main priorities for the new Board have been to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer and to progress the move to the Fever Hospital site in Mount Victoria.  The hiring of Iain Torrance as CEO in March fulfilled this first need, and the Society was making progress in regards to the latter.

The Chair went on to say that while the financials stated in the 2010/2011 annual report showed a deficit, she was pleased to see a marked improvement for the first quarter of this financial year, without a reduction in the level of service provided.

Iain Torrance then took to the stage to present the annual report for the last financial year. He also took the opportunity to give members an update on the current structure and financial position of the Society, since he started, eight months ago. Firstly Iain gave thanks and appreciation to the more than 400 supporters and volunteers who were involved in the running of the shelter in a variety of roles, as well as the permanent staff who have all gone above the call of duty over the last year.

Iain then listed several key milestones that had been achieved since the last AGM, among these the appointment of a new Board in December 2010, an Extraordinary General Meeting in April 2011, a surveying of Members in June (with over 1,200 detailed responses received) and the commencement of a major restructure in September. As a result of these milestones. the new Senior Leadership team was assembled in late November of this year, where they engaged in an intensive Strategic planning session.

Other key initiatives of note include the signing of a pair of MoUs, firstly with Wellington Zoo for wildlife to be treated at the Zoo’s Nest instead of spending time at the shelter, and an MoU signed with WELTEC in November for all 2012 animal care students to do their work experience at the Newtown shelter. Iain also detailed how the Wellington SPCA had been working with veterinary clinics in the local area to provide collective services for the community.

Iain then provided an update on the financial statement in the Annual Report, stating that while the overall situation at the end of last financial year was a deficit, things were looking decidedly more positive at the end of the first quarter of the current financial year. In this first quarter there is a $18,000 loss showing, which was approximately $300,000 less than when compared to the previous two financial years at the same time.  The Board has a stretch goal to break even by the end of this financial year.

Iain made special mention of the fundraising team, who had worked hard to increase all other income streams (eg donations, sponsorship) which, along with increased revenue from education and retail, helped to offset the reduction in bequests.  He reminded Members that bequests are unpredictable and are not income that, can be, or should be, budgeted for, a lesson learnt by many charities over the past few years. Bequests are strongly linked to the reputation of the organisation and this can be seen that as at October 2011, the Society has already received a higher value of bequests than it finished the 2010/11 year with.

Of particular interest was the change in forecast life for Wellington SPCA. At last year’s AGM it was forecasted that the life of the SPCA, with its current outgoings, would only be 18 months.  Given the increase in income and the reduction of expenditure, the current forecast, if costs remain “as is”, would be 20 years.

Iain concluded his speech by updating those assembled on the Societies’ move to the “Fever Hospital”.  He was pleased to report that the Wellington SPCA is now in a position to move forward with this project, with several third parties interested in partnering with the Society for the provision of education services at the new premises.  He cautioned that before they could move to the new site, further remedial work is required to be completed by the Wellington City Council.

The final order of business was to pay recognition to a long-serving staff member at the Society. Iain and the Board asked their Chief Inspector Ritchie Dawson, who started with the Society back in 1990, to come up to the stage to receive a framed certificate and 21 year service medal.  Ritchie was thanked for his service, and recognised by the attendees as an understated and valuable part of the Wellington SPCA team who was highly respected person by other SPCAs and the RNZSPCA National Office.

In addition Ritchie’s wife Rachel was presented with flowers, as thanks for the number of additional hours Ritchie had put in with the Society at the expense of not at home with his family.

Peter McCallum, our Waikanae centre manager and animal welfare inspector, was interviewed by the NZ Herald yesterday about how the team have been dealing with the hundreds of birds that have been blown ashore.

You can watch the video here.

Please consider making a donation to help us try and rescue as many of these beautiful little birds as possible.

Our Waikanae animal centre has had a phenomenal last few days, dealing with hundreds and hundreds of exhausted and disorientated prions, that have been blown ashore as a result of the heavy storms.

The full scale of the event is featured in today’s Dominion Post – read it here. And with 15 left on their doorstep overnight and 56 messages left on their phone, it looks like the situation may take some time to ease off.

We recommend that you do the following if you find a broad-billed prion or any other sea bird:  

• Generally if the birds are left, they will most probably die without intervention. Any dead birds that you find can be left alone and do not need to be moved
• You can bring any birds into our Newtown or Waikanae animal centres, we will accept them. We will transfer them to another facility where they will be cared for
• If you are unable to bring the bird/s in to our Newtown animal centre, we may be able to come and collect them. Our Waikanae centre cannot come to collect the birds from you as they need to focus resources on caring for the birds already in the centre
• Local vets can also accept the birds
• The Department of Conservation has a number to call for advice and assistance – 0800 362 468
• You can place the bird/s in a dark box (with a blanket or towel) to transport them or whilst waiting for them to be collected (place the box in a sheltered, dry and secure place like a garage)
• Broad-billed prions do not eat fish (they are plankton eaters). Do not try to feed the bird – wait for specialist assistance to ensure they receive the best care

If you want to help, we would welcome cash donations as well as donations of towels and sturdy cardboard boxes.

Over the past week, two animal abusers have received prison sentences of 18 months and banned for 10 years and for life from owning animals.

“The new sentencing structure for the Animal Welfare Act passed into legislation by unanimous parliamentary vote in July 2010, has already delivered two significant results in the past week” says Robyn Kippenberger, National Chief Executive of the Royal New Zealand SPCA.

Two cases of extreme animal abuse were heard in courts, the first, a puppy killing in Te Kuiti and yesterday judgement was passed on a case of kitten abuse in Te Awamutu. Both delivered 18 month sentences, surpassing any previous custodial period achieved by at least six months.

She continues; “The SPCA is delighted that judges are using the new sentencing levels to advantage and giving a real sense of justice to animal cruelty cases.  It is credit to MP Simon Bridges and Minister David Carter that they achieved this change in legislation so quickly and to such good effect. They should be extremely satisfied with these early results.”

Last week saw the prosecution of a man who had beaten a 6-month old puppy to death with a golf club because, as his owner said, ‘the dog bit the hand that fed him. This was a prolonged and particularly brutal act of cruelty, which resulted in the Te Kuiti man being sentenced to 18 months jail for willful ill-treatment of an animal, and he was banned for life from owning another dog.

On Tuesday a second case was heard in the Waikato. This involved a 12 week old kitten that was beaten and burned to death in Te Awamutu in front of the owner’s daughter and 5 year-old granddaughter.  The judge presiding over the case said it was the cruelest act imaginable.  The offender has a lengthy criminal history for violent offending, and has been sentenced to 18 months jail and banned from owning an animal for ten years.

In July 2010 the amendment to the 1999 Animal Welfare Act was passed into law by unanimous vote, increasing sentencing from 3 to 5 years custodial term for an act of wilful cruelty that resulted in the death with suffering or permanent disability of an animal. The maximum penalty achieved for animal cruelty under the original Act was 12 months custodial sentence delivered in 2009 to Jeffrey Hurring for the killing of the Jack Russell dog, Diesel. This sentence was later appealed and reduced to 10 months.

“The fact that small children witnessed the death of their family pet in this latest case is especially disturbing. The psychological damage that this would do is immeasurable and unforgivable. Acts of this sort are amongst the worst forms of domestic violence.” Robyn Kippenberger says.  “The link between animal abuse and human violence is well researched and undeniable. These sentences give a much more realistic message to society – that animal cruelty matters and will not be tolerated.”

The SPCA applauds these sentences and hopes they will act as a benchmark for future cases of extreme animal abuse.

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A couple from Porirua are celebrating after being reunited with their dog Marley, one year after she went missing from their property, thanks to a microchip the size of a grain of rice, that we implanted!!

The reunion, which took place at our Newtown animal centre, came after Marley was picked up, by chance, by two members of our Animal Rescue Unit (ARU) who spotted the 19 month-old bitch running in amongst traffic on State Highway Two near Petone Bowl. Marley was brought into our care and a quick scan showed that she had a microchip. A call to her registered owners by our Senior Inspector Ben Lakomy confirmed that Marley had been missing since June 2010.

At this time, nothing is known of Marley’s whereabouts during the last year, but her physical appearance suggests she may have had a pretty rough time of it. Not only is she is extremely underweight and in very poor body condition, but it would also appear that she has recently had a litter of puppies – attempts by Inspector Lakomy to locate any puppies near to where she was discovered proved unsuccessful. Marley is currently in our care  and will remain so until she has gained enough weight and her condition has sufficiently improved for her to go home.

Senior Inspector Lakomy said that the successful reunion was perfect testament to the benefits of microchipping your pet.

“Getting Marley microchipped was one of the best decisions her owners could have made. She now has the chance to be back with her rightful owners and to be properly cared for once again” he said.

We would like to hear from anyone who has information regarding Marley’s disappearance or where she has been since and with whom. Please contact us on 04 389 8044 ext. 812.

We strongly recommend that all pets are microchipped. A microchip is an implant that is inserted under the skin of an animal without the need for anesthetic. It is about the size of a grain of rice, is an inert device with no independent power source and does not transmit a signal. All microchips have a unique identification number that is read using a hand held scanner. Microchips are a safe and effective way to identify your pet – you just need to make sure that the chip is registered and your contact details are kept up to date.

We offer a microchipping service and anyone interested in getting their pet microchipped should contact them on 04 389 8044 ext. 0

You can read Marley’s story on Stuff.co.nz.

You may recall earlier this month we told you about a cruelty case which was brought before the courts following investigations carried out by a Wellington SPCA Animal Welfare Inspector. You can read that report here.

Today in Lower Hutt District court the man received a four month prison sentence and was banned from owning an animal for the rest of his life.

Read the entire story as reported on Stuff.co.nz today, here.