Companion Animal Conference 2020

Since 1995, the biennial Companion Animal Conference has welcomed hundreds of animal professionals, advocates, scientists and scholars from within New Zealand and around the world. Companion Animals New Zealand (CANZ) is honoured to be able to provide an opportunity to network, share experiences and learn from leading national and international experts in animal welfare at the 28th Companion Animal Conference as part of our mission to continually advance the understanding, quality and adoption of responsible companion animal guardianship across New Zealand. The theme of the 2020 Companion Animal Conference is 'Towards a Good Life.'

Animals are sentient and can feel emotions, both negative and positive. The quality of an animal’s life can be judged according to the balance of these emotions, and those who experience more positive emotions are more likely to enjoy a Good Life, rather than just one worth living.

If we are to improve animal welfare we need to be able to understand and recognise reliable indicators of animal emotional states. A sustainable and humane global future involves how we understand and manage animals in all of their interactions with us.

The Companion Animal Conference 2020 will explore the theme 'Towards a Good Life' and provide an opportunity for us all to learn more about how we can improve animal welfare across a range of animal species and uses: companion, production, research, and zoos.