A south Auckland intermediate student is taking on the corporate big guns. Maja Skilling wants Countdown to stop selling cage eggs and has launched a petition, already gathering thousands of signatures.
Maja is 12 years old, but she isn't afraid to get her hands dirty -- no shame, no fear.
"They need to stop making excuses" she says. "I'm not going to stop until Countdown announces a phase-out date that they are going to ban cage eggs."
Her petition has already gathered more than 15,500 signatures.
"Sometimes it's not all about profit. I just wish they would listen to their customers because it's not just about [money]. People do care; their customers actually want this. This is not just something I want; a lot of people want this," she says.
She raises four feathered friends at her home -- two are rescued caged hens.
"Just seeing them crammed into one cage just made me sick and really angry. I think it's really, really, cruel, and the chickens suffer so much," she says.
Countdown, she said, was targeted because its sister company across the ditch, Woolworths, had pledged to go cage-free.
Countdown New Zealand representative James Walker says caged eggs will stay. He explains free-range eggs are roughly twice the price of the alternative, and there are supply issues.
"There have been considerable shortages of free-range eggs in Australia, with lots of empty shelves and unhappy customers," he says.
"The issue is an issue of supply. It's simply that there is not enough free-range eggs in New Zealand for us to be able to get rid of [caged] eggs and still be able to supply Kiwis with eggs, which are an affordable source of protein for many families."
He says Countdown has been increasing the number of free-range eggs on its shelves. But Maja won't stop until it's the only option.
Newshub.
