Anti-rodeo protesters will demonstrate outside the Warkworth Rodeo on New Year’s Day 2020 for the fifth year in a row.

The group are also running a petition calling on the Rodney Local Board to ban the Warkworth Rodeo and all rodeo events on land under their management.

Protest organisers Direct Animal Action are feeling angry after a string of animal deaths last rodeo season.

A horse was killed at last year’s Methven Rodeo, along with a horse and a bull at the Gisborne rodeo, and a horse at the Grand Final rodeo in North Canterbury.

Spokesperson for Direct Animal Action Apollo Taito says the group has had a gutsful of protesting animal abuse disguised as entertainment and that rodeo is already illegal.

“Each year the controversy and public debate heightens around rodeo and its inherent animal welfare issues.”

“Last year a report by the New Zealand Animal Law Association found rodeo to be illegal because it breaches the Animal Welfare Act’s requirement that animals must not be ill-treated.”

“You can’t ban what is already illegal. We simply want the Government and the Rodney Local Board to uphold the law and end rodeo now,” says Mr Taito.

The protest will be held on Wednesday 1st January 2020, 11am at the Warkworth A&P Showgrounds, State Highway 1, Warkworth.

The petition will be presented to the Rodney Local Board on Wednesday 11 March 2020 at the local board’s business meeting.

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