Get notified when a Maltese is listed in New Zealand
We will email you the moment a Maltese becomes available in New Zealand, from a rescue or an owner rehoming.
1 rescue Maltese is available for adoption across New Zealand right now. Every listing links straight to the rescue.
We will email you the moment a Maltese becomes available in New Zealand, from a rescue or an owner rehoming.
The Maltese is a small dog breed originating in Malta / Mediterranean. Adult dogs typically weigh 1.8 to 3.6 kg and live 12 to 15 years. Typical traits: affectionate, people-bonded, low-shedding, gentle.
Households wanting a small, affectionate lap dog and willing to commit to daily brushing of the long white coat. Families with very young kids (the breed is fragile at 4 to 8 pounds) or owners who won't keep up with coat care.
Adult Malteses need about 30 minutes of daily exercise; adolescent dogs typically need 40 minutes. The coat is long-coated with low shedding, and weekly brushing keeps the coat manageable.
Use the city links to narrow to your area, or browse the full list below.
Breed-associated conditions worth asking any rescue about before you adopt. A good rescue will already know whether a dog has been assessed for these.
Kneecap dislocation; common in toy breeds, often manageable without surgery.
Source: VCA →A congenital condition occasionally seen in the breed; testable with bloodwork.
Source: VCA →Editorial summary for adopters, not medical advice. Ask the rescue about a specific dog's health, and consult your vet for individual guidance.
Malteses in New Zealand are listed by a range of local rescues and shelters. Applications, home checks and adoption decisions are handled by the rescue directly. LocalPetFinder brings the listings together so you do not have to check each rescue separately, and does not take a fee.
Prefer to search closer to home? Jump straight to Maltese listings in each New Zealand city.
As of October 2026, Malteses are uncommon in New Zealand rescue, only 1 is listed right now across 1 rescue on LocalPetFinder. They are usually adopted quickly, so it is worth applying early or setting an alert.
LocalPetFinder lists Malteses available for adoption from rescues across New Zealand and New Zealand. Every listing links straight to the rescue that has the dog, and the application is handled by them, not by us.
Malteses typically live 12 to 15 years.
Adult Malteses need about 30 minutes of daily exercise. Adolescent dogs (under 2 years) typically need 40 minutes, more than mature adults.
Breed-associated conditions to ask the rescue about include Luxating patellas, Dental disease, Portosystemic liver shunt. See the citations in the health section above for authoritative information on each. This is an editorial summary, not medical advice, so check with your vet for individual guidance.
Not for sale, for adoption, which is usually the better deal. Every Maltese here comes from an New Zealand rescue or shelter, not a breeder, pet shop, or classified seller. If you searched "maltese for sale new zealand" or "maltese puppies for sale", adopting gets you a healthy, vetted dog for a fraction of the price.
You can buy from a registered breeder, but it is worth weighing against adoption first. If you do buy, insist on seeing where the puppies were raised and getting vet records, and check the breeder against your local pet-sale rules. For most families in New Zealand, adopting a rescue Maltese is cheaper, faster, and gives a dog in need a home.
Both, but adults far outnumber puppies, and it is worth knowing that before you start looking. Most Malteses arriving in New Zealand rescue are adolescents and adults, because that is the age at which first homes tend to give up. Puppies do come through, usually as accidental litters or with a surrendered mother, and they are typically spoken for quickly. Setting an alert beats refreshing the page. It is also worth asking whether you actually want one: an adult arrives with a temperament a foster has already observed and described, where a Maltese puppy is a prediction, and for this breed in particular knowing what you are getting is the more useful thing.
Start with the listings on this page, which pull from New Zealand rescues and shelters and are refreshed regularly, so what you see is what is genuinely available rather than a stale directory. If nothing suits today, that is normal for this breed: rescue intake is intermittent rather than steady, and a breed with none listed this week often has several next month. Setting an alert beats checking back, and it is worth widening to nearby suburbs and towns, since most rescues serving New Zealand will adopt out across a reasonable driving distance rather than only inside one council area.