Students – Apply for Animal Ethics approval online

You must apply for approval before beginning your work. Please select which of the 2024 Committee meetings you would like your application to be considered at. Please ensure your application is submitted at least 2 weeks before the committee date:

In special circumstances the Committee may consider projects at other times.

School details

Planning your project

For information on how to look after animals in your class project see booklet "Caring for Animals" Caring for animals in the classroom

Ethical and welfare issues surrounding any teaching activity involving animals must be considered. The principles of Replacement, Reduction and Refinement, known as the 3Rs, should guide your activity planning

• Replacement where possible animals should be replaced by, for example, models, software, or videos
• Reduction use no more than the minimum number of animals necessary - reducing the number of animals, however, should not be at the expense of greater suffering of individual animals
• Refinement activities must be streamlined to minimise handling, discomfort, distress or pain in animals

If your project involves catching, or obtaining the eggs, dead bodies or parts, of any native mammals, birds (except game birds), reptiles or amphibians, or bush and ground wetas, ground or carab beetles, Nelson cave spiders, snails, black and red coral, or spotted black groper, you need to get a permit from the Department of Conservation (www.doc.govt.nz/) and may need to consult with local iwi. A permit may also be required to remove native species from National Parks or Reserves. Please attach a copy of any permits required.

Include in your description

• How are animals involved in your project?
• What will you do with/to the animals in your project
• How long will the animals be used?
• What will you measure, observe or record to report your findings?
• Diagrams or photographs of any caging or devices you plan to use in your project.

You are required to talk with someone who has experience or is qualified in this area to make sure that you identify all actual and potential risks to the animal and/or to yourself.

Who is the experienced or qualified person you have discussed these risks with and how will you minimise them?

Once your investigation has been approved, if you need to change the design or method including the type, and numbers of animals or what you do to them, and any materials, housing or foods used, you must first seek approval from the Committee.

It is important to monitor your project as it is happening and ensure that the animals are well. Evidence of this monitoring is required (more details below).

You should be mindful of the risks that you identified in question 8, and carefully watch the animals so that you can stop your project if any of these risks do happen.

After your project has been approved and completed, you need to complete a Statistics Form covering:

✓ what animals were used

✓ how many were used

✓ what happened to them after the project.

The Committee will send you this form. The information is required by the Ministry of Primary Industries.

As part of the Statistics Form you will be asked to provide evidence about how your project went. This self-monitoring evidence can include:

✓ A short-written description of the project, including how the animals

✓ A series of photos or a short video taken during your project

✓ A video recording of you explaining how your project went

✓ A photo of your science fair board.