Research using animals has various aims, including:

• Improving the health and well-being of people.
• Improving the health and welfare of entertainment , recreational , sport , and service animals, and animals used to provide therapeutic support .
• Improving the health, welfare and productivity of farm animals and other production animals
• Finding better ways to preserve, protect and manage a range of animal species (especially endangered and native animals) in order to maintain a balance that is ecologically stable and well adapted to the New Zealand environment.
• Developing more humane and effective pest control methods to protect endangered animals and plants from the species that threaten them and to prevent damage to the environment.
• Broadening the foundations of biological science, including our knowledge and understanding of life processes in all animal species.