Conservation Watchlist
of Rare Livestock Breeds in New Zealand
The Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand has adopted these classifications to be able to prioritise the breeds that most urgently need our help:
Critical
Endangered
Vulnerable
At Risk
The ranges in the following table are being used – the numbers refer to females of breeding age.
| Class | Cattle | Sheep/Goats | Pigs | Equines | Camelids | Rabbits | Poultry |
| Critical | 1 to 25 | 1 to 30 | 1 to 25 | 1 to 15 | 1 to 50 | 1 to 30 | 1 to 100 |
| Endangered | 26 to 75 | 31 to 100 | 25 to 75 | 16 to 50 | 51 to 100 | 31 to 100 | 101 to 500 |
| Vulnerable | 76 to 250 | 101 to 300 | 76 to 250 | 51 to 150 | 101 to 500 | 101 to 300 | 501 to 1000 |
| At Risk | 251 to 750 | 301 to 1000 | 251 to 750 | 151 to 300 | 501 to 1000 | 301 to 1000 | 1001 to 2000 |
The following groupings of breeds according to the above classification were compiled from numbers of animals obtained in a census of livestock animals in New Zealand carried out by the Rare Breeds Conservation Society during 2023-2024. The numbers are likely to be refined as more information becomes available. Breed names in blue link to webpages with details of the breeds.
CAMELIDS
Critical
GuanacoVulnerable
LlamaCATTLE
Critical
Aberdeen-AngusAmerican Bison*
Enderby Island
British White
Blonde D'Aquitaine
Brahman
English Longhorn
Hinterwald
Luing
Nadudana Zebu
Piedmontese
Texas Longhorn
Water Buffalo
White Park
Yak
Endangered
PinzgauerPustertaler
Vulnerable
GallowayRed Poll
At Risk
Australian LowlineDevon
Dexter
Guernsey
DONKEYS
Critical
PonuiGOATS
Critical
Nigerian DwarfEndangered
Alpine/British AlpineSable
Toggenburg
Waipu
Vulnerable
KikoNubian/Anglo-Nubian
Saanen
At Risk
ArapawaHORSES
Critical
Cleveland BayFell
GypsyCob/Vanner
Hackney
Highland Pony
Irish Draught
Kiger Mustang
Lipizzaner
Lusitano
Morgan
Paso Fino
Percheron
Peruvian Paso
Suffolk Punch
Tennessee Walking
Endangered
American SaddlebredNorwegian Fjord
PIGS
Critical
ArapawaAuckland Island
Canterbury Blue
Duroc
Euro
Hampshire
Landrace
Large Black
Tamworth
Endangered
BerkshireVulnerable
KunekuneLarge White
RABBITS
Critical
Enderby IslandSHEEP
Critical
ArapawaAvonstour
Campbell Island
Diggers Hill
Drysdale
Raglan*
Endangered
African PigmyAfrican Four Horned
Awassi
Babydoll (Southdown)
Herbert
Hokonui*
Meatmaster
Mohaka
Pitt Island
Samm
Stewart Island
Wiltshire Horn
Woodstock
Vulnerable
DamaraDorset Horn
East Friesian
Finnsheep
Karakul
Oxford
White Headed Marsh
At Risk
ArapawaEnglish Leicester
Ryeland
Shropshire
Stansborough Grey
CHOOKS
Critical
AndalusianAsil
Barbu d'Uccle
Barnevelder
Brahma
Campine
Cochin
Dorking
Faverolles
Hamburg
Houdan
Indian Game
Langshan
Legbar
Leghorn
Modern Game
North Holland Blue
Plymouth Rock
Polish
Rosecomb
Sebright
Sicilian Buttercup
Welsummer
Endangered
AnconaAustralorp
Frizzle
Japanese
Minorca
New Hampshire
Sussex
Wyandotte
Vulnerable
Rhode Island RedAraucana
TYPES OF BREED
To avoid the unfortunate connotations in the use of the term ‘feral’ and the misunderstanding inherent in the term ‘landrace’ the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand has adopted the following terms and designations for the main types of livestock in this country:
New Zealand: A breed of animal that has evolved naturally over time in New Zealand to suit the conditions of a particular local area. An example would be the Arapawa sheep.
Developed: A breed of animal that has been developed by selective breeding to suit perceived or commercial requirements. An example is the Drysdale sheep.
Standardized: A breed in which animals conform to a standard that describes the ideal physical characteristics. Most Standardized breeds descend from landrace populations and ideally the animals are registered or enrolled in a herdbook or studbook. In New Zealand the Standardized breeds have usually been imported, such as the Dorset Horn sheep.
DUCKS
Critical
AylesburyCrested
Magpie
Rouen
Rouen Clair
Welsh Harlequin
Endangered
Blue SwedishCayuga
Indian Runner
Khaki Campbell
Orpington
Pekin
Silver Appleyard
GEESE
Critical
Cape BarrenChinese
English Grey
Pilgrim
Sebastopol
West of England
TURKEYS
Critical
BronzeGrey
Sweetgrass
White
GUINEA FOWL
Critical
Guinea FowlPHEASANTS
Critical
GoldenLady Amherst's
Reeves
Silver
Note that several priority breeds have not been included in the above listings because numbers are not currently available. (*The listing of any breed marked with an asterisk is not in accordance with the 2023-2024 census.) The Watchlist will be revised as more data are obtained. For breeds that were previously listed as being of high priority for conservation see Priority Listing.
a 78-page 2024 publication by the Rare Breeds Conservation Society of New Zealand.
