PawPickAbout
Why PawPick exists
PawPick is an independent pet product review site built for New Zealand dog and cat owners. No retailer sponsorship. No paid placements. No advice that falls apart the moment you try to buy something here.
The problem we set out to fix
Search for "best dog food NZ" and you'll find retailer blog posts from companies selling the products, generic international guides that have no idea what's on NZ shelves, and Reddit threads from three years ago. Cat owners have it even worse.
New Zealand has its own pet food market — different brands, different retailer pricing, different availability, and different parasite risks (hello, cattle tick regions). Most pet content doesn't know any of this. PawPick exists to fill that gap: independent, locally grounded buying guides written for the actual NZ market, not an American one with the prices swapped out.
What we cover
Every category is chosen because NZ pet owners were underserved by what existed online:
- Dog food — 25+ guides covering brands available at PetDirect, Animates, Vetshops, and NZ supermarkets. Breed-specific guides, life-stage advice, raw vs kibble comparisons.
- Cat food — buying guides, life-stage nutrition, and honest reviews of brands like Ziwi Peak, Addiction, Hills Science Diet, and Royal Canin — what they cost in NZ, what the ingredients actually say.
- Parasite treatments — flea, tick, and worm product comparisons with NZ-specific pricing. Coverage of NzSAM-listed products, what's prescription-only vs over-the-counter, and where to buy at the best price.
- Gear and accessories — harnesses, GPS trackers, crates, beds — tested against NZ conditions and priced for NZ budgets.
- Pet insurance — general information guides covering NZ pet insurance products (accident-only vs comprehensive, breed considerations, value assessment). General information only — not personalised financial advice.
How we evaluate products
Every guide and review on PawPick follows the same process:
- Ingredient or formulation analysis first. For food, that means reading every ingredient list and identifying named protein sources, filler ratios, and any formulation shortcuts. Marketing language ("premium", "natural", "holistic") is treated as noise until the label backs it up.
- NZ availability check. If it's not readily available from a NZ retailer, it doesn't get a top recommendation. There's no point recommending something you'd have to import.
- NZ pricing and value assessment. The same product costs different amounts at different NZ retailers. We check PetDirect, Animates, Pet Barn, and Vetshops to give you a realistic price range — not some US retail figure that's meaningless here.
- Trade-off transparency. Every product has a downside. We call it out directly rather than burying it at the end of a glowing review.
- Editorial independence check. No brand relationship, affiliate fee, or free sample changes the recommendation. If the best option has no affiliate link, we point you there anyway.
For the full methodology detail, read how PawPick rates products.
Who writes for PawPick
Jess Aldridge — Wellington-based dog and cat owner. Started PawPick after adopting Māui, a staffy rescue with a gut made of tissue paper, and spending two years figuring out what NZ pet food was actually worth buying. Most pet food reviews turned out to be rewritten product descriptions with an affiliate link bolted on. That wasn't good enough.
Jess writes every guide, review, and comparison on PawPick — currently 110+ pieces across dog food, cat food, parasite care, and accessories. She also owns Pōhutukawa ("Pōhu"), a ginger tabby who is extremely opinionated about wet food textures and occasionally features in cat content.
Our editorial standards
- NZ-first. We cover products available in New Zealand, with NZ pricing and retailer links. No "check Amazon US" suggestions. No products that require international shipping to get here.
- Independently funded. No brand has paid to appear on PawPick. We don't accept free products in exchange for coverage. Recommendations come from research, not relationships.
- Honest about limitations. We're not vets. For health concerns, allergies, medication questions, or anything specific to your animal, talk to your vet. PawPick helps you decide what to buy; your vet helps you keep your pet healthy.
- Honest about trade-offs. Every product has a downside — usually price. We don't pretend otherwise. If a mid-range option is genuinely good enough for most pets, we say so instead of pushing the premium option.
- Corrections welcome. If something on PawPick is wrong, we want to know. Use the contact page.
How we make money
PawPick earns a small commission when you buy through some affiliate links on our site. This doesn't affect which products we recommend — editorial picks are made independently, and we link to retailers regardless of whether they have an affiliate programme.
PetDirect is often the cheapest NZ option for pet food and we recommend them regularly — but they don't have an affiliate programme. We link to them anyway because it's the right recommendation. Affiliate income is a consequence of being useful, not the other way around.
Full detail in our affiliate disclosure.
Get in touch
If you've spotted a factual error, have a suggestion for content we should cover, or just want to tell us what you're feeding your dog — the contact page is the right place. We read everything.