At Companion Animals New Zealand, we’re committed to helping improve the lives of animals across Aotearoa. That’s why we’re proud to support a new initiative just launched, which will help strengthen biosecurity and welfare protections for horses and other equids in New Zealand.
Introducing NEIT
The National Equine Identification and Traceability (NEIT) system is a new, independently governed initiative led by the New Zealand Equine Health Association (NZEHA).
NEIT's core purpose is to enhance New Zealand’s ability to respond quickly and effectively to outbreaks of equine disease, helping protect horse welfare and reduce the cost and scale of potential responses.
NEIT is governed by NZEHA and its data is managed in line with biosecurity objectives, including sharing relevant information with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) during a disease response.
The system is designed for any member of the equid family - including horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules - and represents an important step forward for equine welfare and biosecurity in Aotearoa.
You can learn more at www.neit.org.nz.
How is Companion Animals NZ Involved?
While NEIT and the information on it are entirely governed separately by NZEHA, the back-end system has been built using the same trusted software that supports the New Zealand Companion Animal Register (NZCAR).
This allows for a seamless experience for horse owners who may already be using NZCAR to register microchipped animals - providing a one-click option to opt in to NEIT when registering an equine.
NZCAR Manager Sarah Clements says the technology behind the NZCAR was a natural fit to support the needs of the NEIT system.
“When NZEHA approached us to help technically support the development of NEIT, it was a natural step” says Ms Clements. “While the system front-end is separate from NZCAR, we saw the value in using our platform to help them build something that will strengthen equine welfare nationwide.”
“The goal is to reduce duplication, lower costs, and make it easier for guardians to share information securely between the two systems if they choose to.”
While NZCAR focuses on companion animal identification and reunification, NEIT is a biosecurity tool designed to safeguard equine health across the country. By lending our CANZ expertise in microchip databases and registration systems, we’re helping build tools that protect all animals - whether they walk on four paws or four hooves.