The sign says temporary but the community is concerned the CHB SPCA shelter may not re-open.
The sign says temporary but the community is concerned the CHB SPCA shelter may not re-open.
The CHB SPCA shelter is temporarily closed due to staff shortages.
SPCA NZ area manager Bruce Wills said the centre was not operating "for the time being" due to a lack of staff, but local supporters of the SPCA point out Gore, Waihi and Kawerau centres have closed during thepast 18 months, after temporary closures or reduced hours.
Supporters fear this is what will happen to the Central Hawkes Bay animal shelter and have expressed anger at the thought of losing a community asset built and paid for by CHB residents past and present.
The CHB SPCA was started in 1989 after a public meeting in the Waipukurau Community Rooms, initiated by Waipawa man Paris Rumble, who was among many concerned by the number of animal welfare cases in the community.
A representative from the Dannevirke SPCA attended the packed meeting, and the CHB SPCA was formed as part of that branch.
At-risk animals - mostly dogs and cats - came pouring in.
But there were no facilities and no money to build them.
Committee members and foster families took in dogs and cats, filling backyards with donated cages and kennels and their waking hours with feeding, cleaning and vet visits.
One Waipukurau family looked after more than 200 dogs in the first three years of the organisation's existence.
The CHB SPCA shelter has been at this Coughlan Road property since 1992. Photo / Supplied
Over the next three years the CHB branch became incorporated, Colleen Adams trained as its first inspector and was elected the society's president, and in 1992 retired dog ranger Ron Marsdon and his wife Jenny bought land on Coughlan St, Waipukurau, to sell it to the CHB SPCA via a long-term interest-free loan, to build a shelter.
In the meantime the SPCA Op Shop was established in Waipukurau, bringing in an income.
The CHB branch was amalgamated with SPCA NZ in 2017, and supporters were concerned that CHB's assets - including the land and vehicles - no longer belonged to the local community and would be lost in any permanent closure.
The CHB SPCA has rescued and rehomed dogs, cats, horses, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs and birds for 33 years. It has prosecuted animal offences, taken education programmes to schools and run discounted animal-desexing clinics.
Wills says despite the temporary closure, CHB's animals are still being cared for and the inspectorate service is operating as normal.
"Anyone with a welfare concern, or needing SPCA's help, can contact our Hastings Centre and our team will be able to provide full support. Animals that were at the Waipukurau Centre have been transferred to our Hastings Centre, where they are receiving the best possible care.
"We are still able to take in animals from the Waipukurau area, which will also be transported to Hastings for care."
He says he understands some members of the community are concerned about the shelter's temporary closure but says the shelter lacks a manager.
"The position requires specific skills and experience and was advertised multiple times on Trade Me and Seek. Unfortunately, despite extensive efforts to find a suitable candidate, we received very few applications and have yet to find someone suitable for the role.
"It's important we find someone with the appropriate skills and experience, as animal welfare is – and will always be - our top priority."
But one CHB woman who applied for the job says she received no reply to her application. Another, who admits her application was late, says the SPCA declined to consider it because she missed the deadline.
CHB mayor Alex Walker said: "Based on SPCA track record around the country, I think Central Hawke's Bay has some reason to be suspicious.
"The right thing to do is for someone to come to CHB and explain the circumstances, give us assurance of the process they are going through and how our input will be valued. If everything is fine and aboveboard then there should be no reason to not be transparent."
Supporters have started a petition asking people to protect the shelter, by making SPCA NZ aware of its importance to the community.
