Final Countdown for 100 Hens due to be culled
It’s down to the wire for 100 hens set to be slaughtered on an Auckland farm.
Animal refuge New Beginnings Rescue and Rehoming has until Friday to find “forever” homes in Auckland for the free-range birds which are due to be culled.
At 18-months old, the brown shavers were moulting and having a breather from egg laying, said Dani Prance, who runs New Beginnings Rescue and Rehoming in Taranaki and Auckland’s Rodney District.
“They can still lay eggs but they've reached their use by date for farmers.”
Prance has found homes for about 900 hens from the farm and is desperate to see the rest relocated so “they can live until they’re ancient and die of natural causes.”
“Normally we’d easily find a lot of homes in Auckland but it’s dwindling down,” she said.
Free-range hens face over crammed conditions with limited food and no grass, Prance said.
“You find girls that are definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. They're super skinny and you can see all their bones.”
But they flourished when they got to their new homes, learning quickly how to scratch and forage for food, she said.
“The best feeling is when you pull a hen out of one of those farms and get to put them down on grass and you just watch the amazement in them.”
They made great pets, she said, as they became friendly and ended up following their owners around.
“They’ve just got amazing personalities.”
The adopted hens have been re-homed in a variety of settings ranging from suburban town houses to 20-acre blocks.
“Some people want to fill up community food stalls with eggs, or you get home bakers that do a lot of baking for the community or Meals on Wheels and just want to be a bit more self-sustainable,” Prance said.
Chickens live eight years on average, but hens only productively lay eggs in the first two years of their lives.
Anyone interested in adopting the hens- from collection points in Dairy Flat, Wharehine and Bombay- can email newbeginningsrescue.rehoming@gmail.com or message the rescue’s Facebook page.
Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
🎉 2026 is almost here!
We’re curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?
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10.3% Yes! New Year, New Me
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20.2% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
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69.4% Nah - not for me
Witnesses sought in relation to mass disorder on K-Road Auckland
Police are appealing to the public for any footage they may have of the mass disorder that occurred on Karangahape Road in Auckland in the early hours of Sunday 28 December.
Emergency services were called to the disorder around 3.41am where it is estimated around over 50 people were present.
A Police investigation is underway after there were three serious assaults on and around Karangahape Road during the mass disorder.
A portal has been set up to allow the public to upload any footage they have of the disorder and the serious assaults.
The portal is https://dahr.nc3.govt.nz/
Police have arrested one person but are asking for help to identify and locate others involved.
• Around 4:15am there was a serious assault outside the Crown Bar on Queen Street.
A 33-year-old man received serious injuries and was hospitalised.
The offender is still unknown, and the Police file number is 251228/4647.
• Around 4:30am there was another serious assault on a Cobden Steet just off Karangahape Road.
A 27-year-old man received serious injuries and was hospitalised.
The offender is still unknown, and the Police file number is 251228/4462.
• Around 5am there was third serious assault at the Mobil Service Station on the corner or Karangahape Road and Ponsonby Road.
A 46-year-old man received serious injuries and was hospitalised.
A 21-year-old man has been charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
He has been bailed to appear in court again on 16 January 2026.
The Police file number is 251228/4774.
Police would like to speak to anyone who has witnessed or filmed the assaults.
Witnesses can call Police directly on 105.
Please quote one of the above file numbers.
Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD
The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’
If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.
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