Frequently asked questions

Yes, Pet Refuge New Zealand Charitable Trust is registered with the NZ Charities Service. Our registration number is CC53408.

Our shelter is designed to care for pets of all species, from cats and dogs to birds, rabbits, and even larger pets like horses and cows in need of temporary care while their owners escape family violence.

Rehoming: The Pet Refuge shelter is a critical part of a family’s escape from violence. While we wish we could help every pet in need, our focus remains on supporting those affected by family violence with temporary care, so we do not offer a rehoming service. We’veoperated at capacity since opening, reinforcing how vital this service is for families in crisis.

Anyone can be a victim of violence, so Pet Refuge is here to assist any pet affected by family violence so their owner can escape sooner, regardless of their gender.

Though our shelter is based in wider Auckland, we provide a national service, transporting pets from across New Zealand. Our transport process is carefully managed to keep all pets safe and comfortable throughout their journey. For security reasons, our shelter’s location remains confidential to protect the pets and staff who call it their temporary home. For those pets unable to travel, we partner with various trusted boarding partners across the country.

The Pet Refuge shelter is a critical part of a family’s escape from violence. While we wish we could help every pet in need, our focus remains on supporting those affected by family violence with temporary care, so we do not offer a rehoming service. We’ve operated at capacity since opening, reinforcing how vital this service is for families in crisis.

If you’re experiencing family violence and are worried about your pet’s safety, Pet Refuge can help. We provide a safe, confidential haven for pets, so you can focus on getting your family to safety.

Please contact us directly on 0800 Pet Refuge (0800 738 733 843) or email help@petrefuge.org.nz or reach out to one of our trusted referral partners—experts in crisis support for people.

If you are in immediate danger, please call the NZ Police on 111.

Every pet in our care receives a personalised approach. Our experienced team takes the time to understand each pet’s unique needs, behaviours, and past trauma, ensuring they receive the best possible support including vet care, nutritious meals, enrichment, and training.

The Pet Refuge service is free thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and individual supporters. However, we would welcome any contribution you may wish to make towards the care of your pet.

We understand it takes time for people who have left family violence to rebuild their lives and find a safe place for themselves and their pets to live. Length of stay in the shelter is dependent on kennel space, behavioural and medical needs of the pet, and the client’s individual circumstances. Our case workers will work closely with each family and continue to assess the needs of their pet(s) whilst in our care.

The location of the Pet Refuge shelter is kept confidential to protect the pets we care for, their families, and our pet carers. Therefore, we do not allow owners to visit their pets. Your Caseworker will make regular phone calls and send weekly photographs and videos of your pet so you can see how they're doing.

Please email us any change requests to info@petrefuge.org.nz, or call 09 975 0850 between 8.00am and 4.00pm Monday to Friday. We will send you a confirmation email once your details are updated.

Yes, you are welcome to donate via the bank and set up your own regular automatic payment.

Alternatively, while our website defaults to monthly plans, we can adjust this in our system after the plan has been created.

Please contact us at info@petrefuge.org.nz for more details on how to donate via bank, or to make changes to your online plan.

Most of the mandatory details we collect are in the interest of an easy, streamlined receipting process. Other ‘optional’ fields give us an opportunity to understand our supporters better. If you would prefer to make a bank deposit, please email us at info@petrefuge.org.nz so we can provide our bank details and a reference to ensure you get a tax receipt.

Absolutely, our details for one off donations are below. If you would like a tax receipt, please email us with your donation details.

if you would like to set up a regular donation, please email us at info@petrefuge.org.nz before making your donation so we can provide you bank details and set you up to receive one consolidated receipt for your ongoing donations.

Bank account name: Pet Refuge New Zealand Charitable Trust

Account Number: 12-3628-0000739-00

Reference: First and last name

Any one-off donations through our website are sent an automatic receipt to the email address submitted in the form.

Our monthly givers receive a consolidated tax receipt via email at the end of each financial year in April. If you cancel your regular giving plan, or create a new plan at any time, we will still make sure you receive your tax receipt at the end of the financial year. Just make sure to keep your email and postal details updated with us to ensure everything is sent correctly.

If you've donated directly to our bank account and have contacted us with your details, then you'll receive a receipt within a week. 

As a registered New Zealand charity, donations to Pet Refuge are eligible for tax rebate. For more information on eligibility, please see the IRD website.

Fundraisers do not meet the IRD criteria for tax rebates. 

For the safety of the pets we care for, their families, and our staff, the shelter's location is kept confidential, so unfortunately, we can’t accept help at the shelter. There are many other ways you can volunteer, though, by making toys, working at events, or providing other services. Get in touch with our team at info@petrefuge.org.nz.

While we appreciate you wanting to help pets in need of safety, due to working in the family violence industry there are lots of extra layers to our work – Including keeping pets and their families' identities anonymous and ensuring the safety of those caring for each pet. For this reason,we are not able to accept foster support. 

Have a crate, bed, toys, or other goods you’d like to share with the pets in our care? Thank you! The nature of our work and the backgrounds of the pets we care for means our needs are always changing, so the best thing to do is to email our friendly support team on info@petrefuge.org.nz with what you’d like to donate.

Goods donations can be made to our support office in Rosedale, Auckland, between 8.00am. and 4.00pm. Monday through Friday.

We are unable to accept open pet food, veterinary supplies, or duvets and pillows. We are also very fortunate to have Mars as an Official Partner that provides all our dry cat and dog food needs.

We love you’re interested in helping us make a crucial difference for pets and families in need. All roles available with Pet Refuge will be listed on seek.co.nz so keep an eye out or set a notification on Seek for email alerts.