SPCS

SOCIETY FOR PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY STANDARDS INC.

“The Vegan Society of Aotearoa” – a lobby group and registered charity and its “political advocacy”

by Leave a Comment

“Veganz: the Vegan Society of New Zealand Charitable Trust“, was incorporated on 31 July 2002 as a charitable trust. But was it ever registered as a charity with the Charities Commission on 15 September 2010 (Charity Reg. No. CC45333), under another name: “The Vegan Society of Aotearoa” (an unincorporated Trust formed on 1 May 2010)?

There has never actually been any incorporated entity by the name “The Vegan Society of Aotearoa” in New Zealand and yet it is now a registered charity – registered on 15 September 2010 (Charity Reg. No. CC45333).

Under the Charities Act 2005 all entities registered as charities by the Charities Commission must be registered under their correct legal name if they are a legal entity such as an incorporated charitable trust.

The Vegan Society of Aotearoa is not an incorporated  entity and it was registered as a charity with the Charities Commission under this name, which is permitted under section 15 (e) of the Charities Act 2005.

The “aims and objectives of the the Vegan Society of New Zealand Charitable Trust (“Veganz), an incorporated body, are set out  in section 3 of its five-page Trust Deed dated 14 December 2004 and include the following:

3.1 To offer support and information to people interested in veganism in order to assist vegans and others to maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

3.2 To promote and increase the awareness of veganism as a compassionate, healthy and environmentally beneficial lifestyle choice.

3.3. To raise awareness of the cruelty and exploitation involved with the production of animal based products and that it is unnecessary to inflict suffering and death on animals in order to lead to healthy and happy life.

3.4 To research information relevant to a vegan lifestyle and where appropriate to publish this information.

3.5 To lobby for manufacturers to use non-animal based materials in their products.

3.6 To support ethical alternatives to animal based and/or environmentally harmful research and production and when appropriate to lobby governmental and non-governmental bodies to change such practices.

3.7 Promote respect and compassion towards all animals and he environment by appropriate means.

3.8 To develop and maintain positive relationships with organisations with similar aims and objectives, and to offer such organisations support where appropriate.

In 2010 the Charities Commission approved “charitable status” to the unincorporated “Trust” (The Vegan Society of Aotearoa) which has clear links to the political “lobby” group – VEGANZ: The Vegan Society of New Zealand Charitable Trust, as defined by the latter’s two “aims and objectives” (3.5 & 3.6).

S. 3.6 clearly states that the targets of Veganz lobbying crusades to be “governmental and non-governmental bodies to change such practices [as] animal based/ or environmentally harmful research and production”.

When the Charities Commission granted The Vegan Society of Aotearoa charity status, it effectively affirmed this object (s. 3.6) as a  “charitable” – lobbying against almost every “animal based …. research and production” activity involved in our primary production sector, as well as any and every other research activity that Veganz judge to be “environmentally harmful”.

The means of changing the harmful, and “morally wrong practices” specified by Veganz, based on their activities, entail campaigns lobbying for law and policy changes (“political advocacy”).

The Vegan Society of Aotearoa, a registered charity, has as one of its “charitable purposes” – To “take action consistent with … promot[ing] veganism as an environentally, friendly, healthy and compassionate way of life.”

Society members under the cover of this apparently innocuous “charitable purpose” are in effect free to pursue all the objects set out in the Veganz Charitable Trust Deed – as they too promote veganism.

Veganz has been committed to a clearly defined political agenda since its incorporation. This involves lobbying “manufacturers” (s. 3.5), “government and non-government bodies” (s. 3.6) so that certain laws and policies relating to animal treatment and welfare can be changed and substituted with ones that are approved by Veganz members and the wider “animal rights” campaign networks, a number of which are also registered charities (e.g. SAFE – Save Animals From Exploitation).

A founding trustee of The Vegan Society of Aotearoa, Ms Amand Sorrenson, is currently Promotions Manager for SAFE (Save Animals from Extinction), an “animal rights” campaigner/lobby heavily involved in “political advocacy”. (See: http://www.safe.org.nz/Contact-Safe/).

Notes:

The charitable trust “Veganz” was incorporated as a Trust on 31 July 2002 (Reg. No. 1230157).

References:

Trust Deed of VEGANZ: The Vegan Society of New Zealand Charitable Trust dated 14 December 2004.

www.charities.govt.nz

www.vegansociety.org.nz

www.vegetarians.co.nz

VEGANZ: The Vegan Society of New Zealand Charitable Trust and political lobbying

by 2 Comments

In 2005, Ms Sandra Murray Coordinator & Trustee of  Veganz (the Vegan Society of New Zealand Charitable Trust), of which she was Coordinator & Trustee”, conducted a survey of 101 vegans in New Zealand and found that the majority became vegans primarily for animal rights reasons, with the next highest recorded being for health reasons. Environmental reasons were cited by a very smal number of respondents, roughly the same number as cited spiritual/religious reasons and allergy/intolerance reasons (Energy & Food, Iss. 83, August 2005, pp. 8-9).

The notion of animals having “rights” is a highly charged and controversial subject in the field of bioethics and ethics/philosophy. It is indisputable that humans have rights not to be killed and eaten by other humans. But do all animals have the same “rights”? Many “animal rights activists” and doctrinaire vegans sincerely believe they do. The vast majority of reasonable-minded people believe they do not. The link between “animal rights” activism and veganism is well-established.

Is it significant that a founding trustee of The Vegan Society of Aotearoa, Ms Amand Sorrenson, is currently Promotions Manager for SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation), an “animal rights” campaigner/lobby heavily involved in “political advocacy”. (See: http://www.safe.org.nz/Contact-Safe/)? SAFE was registered as a charity with the Charities Commission on 30 June 2008 (Reg. No. CC44028).

Ms Sandra Joanne Murray is listed as “Coordinator & Trustee” of VEGANZ, on its Trust Deed and on the Statutory Declaration accompanying the application for the incorporation of VEGANZ: The Vegan Society of New Zealand Charitable Trust, witnessed by Auckland barrister, Ms Metiria Stanton Turei (currently co-leader of the Green Party MP). Both documents are dated 17 July 2002 and were uploaded onto the Companies website on 31 July 2002.

Along with three other trustees, Ms Murray’s signature is also recorded on the Application For Incorporation of VEGANZ as a Board, dated 29 July 2002 and received by the National Processing Centre of the Companies Office on 31 July 2002 (uploaded on Companies website on 31/07/2002).

On 3 October 2004 the VEGANZ Trust Deed was amended and Ratified at the Trust’s AGM. A copy was signed by Ms Sandra Murray “to be a true and correct copy of the Trust Deed of VEGASNZ: The Vegan Society of New Zealand” on 14 December 2004. It was uploaded onto the Companies website on 20 December 2004. Its registration number is 1230157.

Two of the “aims and objectives” (section 3) of VEGANZ Charitable Trust Deed make it clear that this incorporated Trust is an “animal rights” lobby group.

s. 3.5 To lobby for manufacturers to use non-animal based materials in their products.

s. 3.6 “To support ethical alternatives to animal based and/or environmentally harmful research and production and where appropriate to lobby government and non-government bodies to change such practices.

SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation) – a registered charity & its “political advocacy”

by 2 Comments

Protest challengers cage egg industry: SAFE – registered charity and political entity: its “perpetual advocacy of a particular view”. TV One 7 AM News reported this morning that animal welfare activists from a registered charity SAFE (Save Animals from Exploitation Inc.) and other animal rights lobbyists have mounted a campaign of civil disobedience by blocking the entrance to the Mainland Poultry complex in Waikouaiti, just north of Dunedin, in order to protest against the farming of poultry in colony battery cages.

SAFE issued its Media release to Voxy News at 4.54 am today that alerted media to the protest (see link below). A TV One News crew was at the protest site reading for filming at the crack of dawn today  – thanks to the registered charity SAFE.

The array of lobbyists are demanding that the law be changed to outlaw such farming practices and intend to remain in place infringing the rights of workers and management to enter the complex and go about their lawful business, until they are removed by police. SAFE campaign director Eliot Pryor was part of the ground crew coordinating the blockade of  Mainland Poutry, and was supported by other SAFE members present.

Since it was registered as a charity (CC40428) with the Charities Commission headed by Mr Trevor Garrett, on 30 June 2008, SAFE’s vociferous lobbyists have been engaged in the “perpetual advocacy of a particular point of view”, to use the ‘terminology’ of the Charities Commission’s Monitoring and Investigations Team.    

SAFE’s  financial accounts (available on line on the Charities Commission’s website www.charities.govt.nz), reveal that in the financial year ended 31 March 2011, it employed nine full-time charity workers and 5 part-timers. SAFE records a total annual salary and wages bill of $589,430, for the financial year ended 31 March 2011. This pay-out constituted 61% of the charity’s annual income of $917,315 sourced from donations from the New Zealand public.

Voxy News reports today:

MEDIA RELEASE BY SAFE

Protest challenges cage egg industry

Access to the largest battery cage facility in New Zealand has been blocked today by animal welfare activists protesting against cages for layer hens.

Early this morning eight metre high tripod structures with climbers suspended were set up at the entrance to the Mainland Poultry complex in Waikouaiti and activists from The Coalition to End Factory Farming expect to remain in place until they are forced down.

“The action is being carried out to highlight the continued cruelty of cages,” says SAFE Campaign director Eliot Pryor, “and especially to stop the introduction of the proposed colony battery cage system. Both SAFE and The Coalition to End Factory Farming want to see all cages banned for egg-laying hens. The so-called enriched colony cages are not an acceptable alternative to the existing system as the welfare benefits are so minimal.”

“Mainland Poultry has refused the media access to these new colony battery cages and it is easy to see why,” says Mr Pryor. “They do not want the public to see the abhorrent conditions the animals are forced to live in. They do not want to explain to consumers why hens are crammed inside cages so cramped they have barely any room to move.”

Secretly filmed images of the colony battery cages in the Mainland facility, showing a dark future for New Zealand’s three million battery hens, were revealed by activists on national television earlier this year. The Minister for Primary Industries, David Carter, is considering approving the introduction of colony battery cages as part of the new welfare code for layer hens.

Colony battery cages do not provide the hens with the opportunity to display their normal behaviour as required by the Animal Welfare Act. Both New Zealand and international animal welfare agencies have condemned them, declaring the cages “fail to properly meet the hens’ physical or behavioural needs”.

“The law does not meet the welfare needs of these animals and as the law fails the hens, and producers resist moving to better welfare systems, you will find more reaction from consumers,” says Mr Pryor. “All retailers need to be looking again at their supply chain and asking themselves what their customers would find acceptable.”

Eighty per cent of Kiwis are opposed to battery cages, and SAFE encourages the public not to be fooled into believing that the new colony battery cages are acceptable. Consumers can contact the Minister directly to demand a ban on all cages at nocages.org.nz.

Media Release from Animal rights activist charity SAFE (Save Animals From Exploitation).

Voxy News. Monday 25 June 2012

http://www.voxy.co.nz/national/protest-challenges-cage-egg-industry/5/127249

Reference: www.nzopenrescue.org.nz “SAFE campaign director Eliot Pryor was part of the ground crew” [in the blockade of Mainland Poultry]

 

“Real moral jihad” & SAFE charitable “advocacy” for piggies and poultry

by 1 Comment

A good number of charites registered with the Charities Commision are determined to get their grievances with law-makers into the public spotlight. They do so by investing considerable financial resources they have obtained from donors and/or government sponsorship etc, into provocative campaigns seeking public support for their “political advocacy” crusades – all aimed at trying to get the law changed and/or upheld to serve those they claim to advocate on behalf of.

United Future leader, the Hon. Peter Dunne, has today in a Dominion Post report, pointed to “a whole suite of agenda items”, promoted by allegedly “seriously extreme and nutty” campaigners, that in his view constitute “a real moral jihad”. He has highlighted two of his former party members as “extreme”  jihadists possessing “little tolerance” in their alleged “fanaticism over smacking” laws, opposition to the reform of prostitution laws and desire to tighten the abortion laws. [Read more…]

“Animal rights” protestors guilty of bullying – Letter to Editor

by 1 Comment

Protestors guilty of bullying (Letter, Dominion Post 15 May)

The standover tactics employed by the noisy rabble outside Wellington’s Le Canard restaurant (May 12-13) are repellent in the extreme.

As self-styled “professional people with sensible jobs”, they should know that the concerns they have with the production of foie gras lie with producers in France, not with a restauranteur going about his legitimate and “sensible” business.

They are not only creating a public nuisance but are also guilty of bullying, an action that shows a lack of probity greater than that involved in over-feeding a farmyard bird. [Read more…]