Professor Nat Waran OBE at home in Hawke’s Bay

The Director of Companion Animals NZ Professor Natalie Waran has recently received an Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to equine welfare, research and education.  This prestigious honour was announced on the United Kingdom’s Birthday Honours list earlier in June. 

Nat’s work spans decades, continents, and species – but her passion for improving the lives of horses through evidence-based training, management and policy has remained a consistent hallmark of her career.   Nat says she was delighted to receive such high recognition.

“I am deeply honoured to receive this OBE, which I see as recognition of not just my own work, but also the collaborative efforts of countless colleagues, students and organisations who have worked tirelessly to advance horse welfare and improve our understanding of their needs.” 

Nat is based in the Hawke’s Bay and works closely with ESNZ, NZ Pony Club and the equine industry, leading the way with the application of the 5 Domains framework, promoting positive welfare, developing equine organisational welfare strategies and ongoing Social Licence to Operate (SLO) issues.

“I strongly believe that if we know better, then we must do better. Scientific knowledge regarding horse welfare has advanced rapidly over the past years.  The challenge now lies not in discovering what is right for the horse—but in equestrians being supported in taking appropriate actions to achieve it”.

New Zealand developed the 1999 Animal Welfare Act, which Nat says was seen as groundbreaking at its time and has led the way for animal welfare legislation in other parts of the world to be developed along similar lines.

“Our Animal Welfare Act was the first to introduce what’s called a ‘duty of care’ approach. So, rather than waiting for an animal to show extreme suffering before somebody could be prosecuted, our legislation focuses on what the animal needs to safeguard its welfare in the first place.

“It’s actually quite important that we appreciate that we have been the leaders, particularly in setting higher standards of welfare through our groundbreaking Welfare Act and codes, and for the most part, we’re able to provide higher standards of welfare for animals living in our New Zealand environment,” says Nat.

ESNZ is delighted to have Nat as a member of the One Voice group that is working on policy and resources that will encourage the education and support of equine wellbeing.  For more see IRT Horse Welfare section on our website:  https://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/safety/irt-horse-welfare/

What is Social Licence to Operate? https://www.nzequestrian.org.nz/2023/10/what-is-social-licence-to-operate-and-why-we-should-care/