CULTURAL TRADITION REJECTED

Food variety is one of the great pluses of cultural diversity. Kiwi's are showing some reluctance to embrace imported pragmatism when it comes to menu planning, however:

The SPCA wants to educate certain communities that eating cats and dogs is unacceptable in New Zealand.

It follows a Tongan family cooking up their pet dog to eat, because they wanted to get rid of it.

SPCA chief executive Robyn Kippenberger says the eating of cats and dogs is also known to happen in Vietnamese and Chinese cultures.

"We want to talk to the Tongans, but also we need to be aware that there are other communities where that's culturally acceptable. So we need to actually educate them as well, that this is not our culture."

Better the dog was eaten than euthanised and discarded. Suggestions for anyone with a spare cat or two.