Website Information

Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand

Website Origin and Operation

The New Zealand Rare Breeds Website originated from an idea by Michael Willis, backed by the National Committee of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand, in 2001.   The Canterbury Section of the Society was given a mandate to compile the website and the actual compilation was undertaken by Michael Trotter and Beverley McCulloch.   The text used was written/edited by Beverley, and the website itself was developed by Michael – it first went on line in April 2002. (The Original Home Page, which is no longer used, has been preserved as a bit of the site’s history.)   Michael and Beverley, as Webmasters, maintained, monitored and updated the Website on behalf of the Society until Beverley’s death in 2006, after which the website work has been continued by Michael.

From late 2017 new and updated pages are written in HTML5 which is the latest hypertext markup language for website browsers. These pages have a different appearance from the older ones and are more easily viewed on cell phones and similar devices.

Disclaimer

• The compilers of this website hope the viewers find the contents interesting and informative, but they are for general information purposes only and should not be taken to constitute advice on the breeding, management, care or upkeep of rare or minority breeds of livestock.   (Any breed enquiries should be addressed as appropriate through the Contacts page)

• While every effort has been taken to ensure that the information presented is accurate and up-to-date, the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand Incorporated accepts no responsibility for any errors, inaccuracies, omissions or misleading statements. The information contained on the website may include opinions or views which, unless expressly stated otherwise, are not those of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand Incorporated.

Directory and Webmart

• Members of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand can have Directory and Webmart listings for rare and minority livestock at no cost – members are responsible for the accuracy of their listings.

• A hyperlink to a member’s own website can be included in a Directory listing provided that a reciprocal link is provided from it to the Rare Breeds Website.

• Caveat emptor: For those buying animals advertised on this website, the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand advises that it is unable to check the quality of such stock and recommends that buyers carry out checks themselves before purchasing.

Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand

The Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand is an incorporated society of volunteers that was founded in 1988 and is administered by a Committee elected under its Constitution. The Society maintains contact and exchanges publications with similar overseas organizations – see our Links page for links to these and other organizations.

Personal Websites

• Breeders and Breed Societies can have their own individual Websites hosted by the Rare Breeds Website – so long as they have something to do with livestock that has rare or minority status in New Zealand.   Setting up (design, text editing, photo enhancement, compilation, appropriate links, validation, putting on line) and running costs of a single straightforward Webpage for the first year are generally about $200 for members of the Rare Breeds Conservation Society. Running costs for subsequent years are $25 – there has been no increase since 2002. (Running costs include maintenance, monitoring, minor alterations and updates.) Extra pages are half these rates. (All money goes to the Rare Breeds Conservation Society – the work on the website is done on a voluntary basis.) See Associates for examples of those already on line, and contact the Webmaster for details – without obligation.

New Zealand

• It is apparent that some (hopefully very few) of the Website’s viewers are unsure about what and where “New Zealand” is – so a page has been added to help overcome this problem. If you have any doubts, go to New Zealand – What and Where.

Contact Details

• Any enquiries or comments about this Website can be sent to the Webmaster.   For other enquiries about rare breeds or the Rare Breeds Conservation Society, see the Contacts page.

Copyright and Copying

© All New Zealand Rare Breeds Website material is Copyright – in the first instance to the writer or photographer concerned, secondly to the compilers of this website and thirdly to the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand Incorporated.   All Rights Reserved World Wide. Anyone wishing to use text or illustrations from this website must contact the Webmaster beforehand.

Google Search

• A Google search facility is available on the Home Page (and some other pages) to search for any key word or phrase on the Website, though this may not always find the latest listings on Webmart which is updated fairly frequently. To search for a word on Webmart, use the browser’s “Find” facility (usually activated by pressing the Ctrl+F keys together).

Breed Information

• The compilers of the Website would be happy to receive further information on, and photographs of, rare and minority breeds in New Zealand. If you can assist please contact the Webmaster.