SCHOOL IS BACK and so are our SAFE speakers, willing to speak at schools throughout New Zealand.

SAFE has speakers available in the following centres: Auckland, Rotorua, Palmerston North, Nelson, Christchurch, Oamaru and Dunedin. Topics we can speak on include: an introduction to animal rights, LovePigs campaign, NoCages campaign, animal experimentation and social action.

"These free talks are a great way to get your brain buzzing again after the holidays," says SAFE education officer Nichola Kriek.

Teachers and students using the Animals & Us education resources, or those simply interested in learning more about animal issues, are invited to take advantage of SAFE's Animals & Us education programme and services. These include free resource books and school speakers.

SAFE speakers are now available to give talks at your school. Our speakers are able to talk on a range of engaging subjects. A selection of topics is listed below.

Speakers can address whatever size group seems appropriate: a class, a Year, or simply a group of pupils who are interested in the topic.

HOW TO BOOK A GUEST SPEAKER

1) Check the list of regions below to see if we have speakers available near you.

2) Select a topic from the list of subjects available.

3) Click here to send an email to SAFE's education officer, Nichola Kriek.

Please include the following details:

• Your school and contact details
• Date you would like the speaker to visit
• Topic you are interested in
• Age and number of students

REGIONS AVAILABLE

SUBJECTS AVAILABLE

• Talking Animal Rights
• Factory Farming in New Zealand (sow stalls and battery cages)
• Social Justice - A Case Study (LovePigs campaign)
• Animals in Experiments
• Animals in Entertainment (under construction)

Some of our speakers have specialist qualifications and experience and may, on special request, be able to give a presentation in their particular area of expertise.

IS THERE A COST?

This is a free service, however a donation towards travel costs is appreciated.

SPEAKERS

AUCKLAND
Marianne MacDonald MSc (Marine Biology, Bangor University)
Marianne has worked in the United Kingdom and New Zealand as a paid and voluntary animal advocate for 20 years. She was involved in the school education programme for SAFE nine years ago and recently returned to give school talks as a SAFE volunteer.

Marianne has a Certificate in Adult Education and four years' experience in teaching adults.

ROTORUA
Elaine Mander
Elaine has been actively involved with SAFE since 2005, initially assisting with our annual appeal and later acting as the SAFE coordinator for Rotorua. She has been vegetarian for 33 years and vegan for the last six. Elaine currently has three cats and a dog called Citron who accompanies her to SAFE events and activities.

Elaine is an experienced speaker.

PALMERSTON NORTH
Dr Mary Murray   (Warwick University) PhD (Glasgow University)
Mary Murray is Senior Lecturer in Sociology at Massey University where she coordinates the paper Animals and Society. Educated in the United Kingdom, Mary taught at universities in Scotland, England and Ireland before coming to New Zealand

Mary's research and publication interests have been wide-ranging, spanning gender, historical sociology, social theory, death and dying, emotion, myth, dreams, and, in recent years, the relationship between humans and other animals.

NELSON
Michèle Lacroix  MA (Ethnology, German and Spanish Language and Literature, University of Cologne, Germany)Michèle has a background in language teaching and journalism, and immigrated to New Zealand six years ago. During her time here she has worked as a driver/guide and has become increasingly interested in animal farming and welfare in New Zealand. Michèle is a vegan and lives with two pigs, two dogs, two cats and a cockatoo - hence her interest in human-animal relationships. She is also focused on bringing more awareness to the connection between intensive animal farming and its consequences for global warming.

CHRISTCHURCH
Nichola Kriek  (Geography, Victoria University) BMus (Music, Victoria University) Dip Teach (Wellington College of Education)
Nichola is SAFE's education officer and co-creator of the popular SAFE Animals & Us education programme. She has worked in the field of animal rights/welfare education for 16 years. In that time Nichola has spoken with hundreds of school groups, produced and published Pawprint, a popular children's magazine, and run numerous events for young people: (animal-friendly holiday programmes, beach clean-ups and fundraising).

She trained as a secondary school teacher at the Wellington College of Education in 1991.

CHRISTCHURCH
Hans Kriek
Hans is SAFE's director and New Zealand's most outspoken animal advocate. He immigrated to New Zealand from the Netherlands in 1985 and has spent the majority of the last 25 years campaigning for animals. During this time Hans has been interviewed on virtually every topic pertaining to the rights of animals, including factory farming, bloodsports, animal experimentation, the use of animals in entertainment, environmental issues and vegetarianism. He is a leading and compelling voice for animals.

CHRISTCHURCH
Dr Tanja Schwalm  PhD (University of Canterbury)
Tanja has published on the representation of animals and human-animal relationships in magical realist fiction, and in circuses. Tanja is a vegan and has been a SAFE volunteer since 2002.

DUNEDIN
Michelle Hagar
Michelle has lived in Dunedin since 2005. She has been passionate about animal welfare and rights issues for the last 15 years. In recent years Michelle has worked as a dog handler/animal attendant for Otago SPCA and has two dogs and three cats at home. She has a teenage son and is passionate about educating young people and fostering compassionate attitudes and values towards animals.

INVERCARGILL
Daphne Ellis
Daphne became a member of the SAFE Invercargill group in 2007, not long after she arrived in Invercargill. She has always had an interest in animals and their welfare, and in ways to prevent animal cruelty. After completing a speakers' workshop and being accepted as a SAFE speaker, she is now prepared to become more involved and has also become a vegetarian.