SAFE, a New Zealand animal rights group, and other organisations like it are currently beginning a social action campaign to address the animal welfare issue of caged hens in New Zealand. Our campaign aims to inform people of this breach of New Zealand's Animal Welfare Act 1999 in the hopes of freeing all hens from cages. Hens are intelligent, socially complex animals with many natural behavioural needs. In an outdoor environment, a hen will spend her day scratching at the ground, searching for food, dust bathing, stretching her wings, and bathing in the sun. These birds deserve the rights to freely display these natural behaviours in their life, however, they are currently being denied these rights in New Zealand, with over 2.3 million hens being kept in overcrowded wire cages for their entire lives. Colony cages, large cages that house up to 80 hens, have been approved as the new caged system to replace soon-to-be illegal battery cages, which hold 4 chickens. Colony cages still breach New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Act 1999 as they do not allow hens to express their natural behaviour. Therefore, these cages are a violation of the five freedoms of New Zealand's Animal Welfare Act. We are calling upon our community to sign this petition and join us in the advocacy for NZ hens freedom!