New Zealand has the second highest companion animal ownership rate in the world and 72% of children in New Zealand under the age of 9 years old live with at least one companion animal (Companion Animals NZ Report, 2020). However, each year SPCA cares for around 33,000 animals in New Zealand who are sick, injured, abused or abandoned. SPCA believes animal welfare education in the early years is an essential tool for the early promotion of positive animal welfare as well as playing a role in breaking the cycle of animal cruelty in New Zealand.