SPCA Auckland's Mangere centre sits on a 10-acre site at 50 Westney Road, south of the city near the airport. The website calls it the biggest and busiest SPCA centre in the country, with around 120 staff. Its hospital carries out everything from routine desexing to complex surgery, and there are rehabilitation facilities for cats, small animals and dogs. Adoptions are by appointment only. Customers talk most about kitten adoption, and one family said the brother and sister they adopted nearly 12 years ago came already desexed and vaccinated.
Warranted welfare inspectors cover 7,980 square kilometres across the Auckland region, and thousands of abandoned or neglected animals arrive each year. At its busiest the centre can hold around 500 cats and kittens and up to 200 dogs, including those in foster homes. Hundreds of volunteers clean dog pens, foster sick animals and work in the op shops. One visitor praised the Flat Bush op shop for its neatly colour-coded clothing. Cruelty reports and complaints go by phone on 09 256 7300. Our pick in Mangere for kitten adoption.