In 2023, a series of four equine microchipping events were held in the Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa communities following the catastrophic events of Cyclone Gabrielle. Following the incredibly sad event, EQuiChip® was born.
EQuiChip® became our national equine microchipping campaign founded and trademarked by us here at Companion Animals New Zealand. Equine microchipping is fundamental in identifying and protecting the NZ horse population. In Europe, equine microchipping is now compulsory in most countries and we believe New Zealand will likely follow this trend.
The 2023 series of events were driven by Professor Nat Waran (Director, A Good Life for Animals Centre, Companion Animals New Zealand) and enabled the equestrian community to take positive preventative measures to help reduce some of the risks and stress associated with being unable to identify horses and find their guardians in an unforeseen circumstance (weather event, national disaster, biosecurity threat, or loss of their horses due to theft).
More than 200 horses were microchipped and registered on the Companion Animals NZ national database during the four events and this sparked the idea to take the campaign nationally and trademark it as EQuiChip®. The video footage shown below was taken at one of the Hawke’s Bay events.
2024 events on the horizon
While still in the planning phase, we hope to host events with the help of generous sponsorship at the locations and dates below:
May/June 2024: Taupō
July 2024: Cambridge
August 2024: North Auckland
September 2024: West Auckland
October 2024: Wellington
November 2024: Christchurch
In the 2024 series we hope to microchip and register between 400 and 500 horses across the six events, involving the local equine community and vet clinics - making them very community-driven events.
There are so many benefits of equine microchipping and registration, including mitigating biosecurity risks, helping with proof of ownership and the ability to include body temperature measurements. The process is easy and, similar to a vaccine, the chip is inserted with a needle. No sedation is required in most cases.
We look forward to sharing more soon and confirming dates! If you’d like to know more, contact us at welfare@companionanimals.nz.