[2005 NZAVS note: details of 1997 relaunch can be found in Mobilise! 44 (http://www.nzavs.org.nz/mobilise/44/index.html)]

With insufficient responsible input by reliable, conscientious and reasonably competent volunteers in Wellington, and with too few members willing to organise, or support, campaigns on a National level, your editor, unable and unwilling to continue carrying the entire weight of responsibility of all facets of the Society, has, after seventeen years of productive operation, decided to utilise her services to the abolitionist movement in a more effective way. In the future she will concentrate to better advantage on individual, rather than collective effort.

This was not an easy decision. The Society, which has built a solid foundation based on CIVIS (Hans Ruesch's) principles, in its seventeen years of existence, has survived, flourished and matured. Through its many campaigns, including two major Petitions to Parliament and its vibrant and visually disturbing marches to Parliament, NZAVS drew the attention of the New Zealand public to the abolitionist cause. NZAVS' book, Animal Research Takes Lives - Humans and Animals Both Suffer (http://www.health.org.nz/cover.html), at the fingertips of the youth of the country, is the established textbook in colleges. Students, some of whom are future decision-makers, through the information the book contains, have knowledge which far outstrips that of the country's politicians, who for the entire period of NZAVS' legitimate approaches to Parliament have steadfastly refused to consider the issue. The Society funds, depleted a mere two years ago in production of ARTL (http://www.health.org.nz/cover.html) are being steadily recouped as the book's reputation gathers momentum. The Society's independent and courageous stand against fraud, bigotry, convention and obsolescence has earned it international respect and goodwill. Recognised worldwide NZAVS has paid its dues. It stands confident at the crossroads, on the threshold of what could be an exciting new era.

Disappointingly, in this admirable and favourable situation, the most essential and crucial component of all is missing. The Society lacks the interest and involvement of other than a slight handful of its members. And this is the deciding factor in your editor's decision to change focus.

The apathy shown at this year's AGM, where a mere twelve members were prepared to give a brief two hours to support the Society by attending the meeting, is not confined to the Wellington district. During the past year, when pursuing NZAVS' major campaign of promoting ARTL (http://www.health.org.nz/cover.html), your editor was forced to personally undertake exhaustive promotional trips to approximately 150 colleges and public libraries. During 1994, on four trips, she canvassed colleges and public libraries in Far North, Bay of Islands, Whakatane, Gisborne, Wairoa, Napier, Hastings and districts, and the Wairarapa. When the colleges opened in February 1995 she undertook two promotional trips to Taranaki, Palmerston North, Wanganui, and the King Country. Though over 120 of the institutions visited purchased ARTL (http://www.health.org.nz/cover.html), the extremely encouraging response experienced in every area visited was dampened in knowing that members live, some quite close, by the public libraries and colleges that took us such exhaustive effort to locate. Phil Clayton, under extremely difficult, sometimes harrowing conditions, has made similar sales trips throughout remote areas in both the North and South Islands. Margaret Jones, practically singlehanded has undertaken the massive job of promoting, with outstanding success, the book to dozens of Auckland colleges. However, lack of participation by the majority of members in the affairs of the Society makes it obvious that for efficiency, and out of fairness to the animals which continue to suffer and die, drastic steps had to be taken.

Subscription renewal dockets for fees to 31/3/1996 were deliberately withheld from inclusion in Mobilise! 41 in the hopes that an encouraging and favourable response at the AGM would turn the tide... this was not forthcoming.

NZAVS is now therefore in recess prior to wind-up. There will be one further mailout in which members will be informed of the disposal of the Society's assets.

Your editor asks readers to come to grips with the unpalatable fact that payments of subscriptions and donations alone will never substitute for involvement in the campaigns of the abolitionist cause. the consequences of the decision to wind-up the Society will be long-term and far-reaching. Consider the following:

• The RSPCA. Internationally this organisation is the instrument used by the vivisection cartel to facilitate operation of its industry. In New Zealand the RSPCA submitted to Parliament its opposition to NZAVS Petition to Abolish Vivisection. In Britain the RSPCA has massive investment of its funds in vivisection laboratories.
• SAFE. Since BUAV (Auckland) folded and reappeared as SAFE, this Society's leaders have with great subtlety relentlessly pursued the policy of the vivisectors.
• The insidious pro-vivisection comments in the media by spokespersons of the above organisation will not be recognised, challenged or exposed.
• This country's doors are now wide open for the international brotherhood of vivisectors. There will be no scientific challenge, and opposition on moral grounds is its breath of life, easily handled, it is the key by which vivisection survives and expands.
• With the exit of NZAVS there is no arm of the abolitionist movement in New Zealand and the international recognition of New Zealand as a major arm of the abolitionist movement ceases.

[2005 NZAVS note: details of 1997 relaunch can be found in Mobilise! 44 (http://www.nzavs.org.nz/mobilise/44/index.html)]