Browsing by Author "James, Vanessa"

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Open Access
Government provision of welfare in Aotearoa New Zealand: We're doing it wrong
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2015) James, Vanessa; Stephens, Mamari
The paper examines the provision of welfare by the government in New Zealand and suggests that: the monetisation of welfare has led to the concept of welfare being so narrowly defined that it has lost its original meaning and intent; the provision of welfare in New Zealand requires fundamental review, and that with the establishment in legislation of appropriate underpinning principles and identification of the basic needs that welfare should meet, the currently required obligations in welfare are not necessary; and that the provision of welfare should be depoliticised to enable it to be provided using a rights-based approach that honours New Zealand’s international obligations and ensures welfare services are provided in the same manner as other services provided by the government from taxation.
Open Access
Recognising animal sentience: Including minimum standards for opportunities to display normal patterns of behaviour in codes of welfare in New Zealand
(Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2016) James, Vanessa
This paper considers the impact of the recognition that animals are sentient in the 2013 amendment to the Animal Welfare Act 1999, examining the rationale for the change and the drivers underpinning the current legal approach to animal welfare in New Zealand. It concludes that although the intention of recognising animal sentience may be largely symbolic, the result of the change must ultimately be to improve animal welfare in New Zealand, and that better recognition of minimum standards for providing animals with the opportunity to display normal patterns of behaviour should be included in the codes of welfare developed under the Act.