Giant octopuses are reaching their tentacles out to Wellingtonians from billboards across the city.That's because Animals Aotearoa has launched a petition to ban octopus farming.The charity was deliberately using the billboards "because octopuses are really famous for reaching out to connect with people", executive director Marianne MacDonald said."Octopuses are incredible creatures. They've got three hearts, they've got blue blood, they've got minds that dream and they can solve puzzles," she said.The organisation has partnered with 177 organisations across 75 countries to send a letter to all political parties in New Zealand asking them to commit to a ban on factory farming of octopuses.Octopus aquaculture does not exist yet in New Zealand, but in 2022 the Government awarded $1 million to the University of Auckland to research the idea.MacDonald said now was the time to act, before the industry gained a foothold and while it was still at a theoretical stage.Octopuses can dream and solve puzzles, Animals Aotearoa's executive director says."We have an opportunity to be the first country in the world to ban octopus farming," she added.MacDonald said there was no way of farming or killing octopuses without extreme suffering."These are very solitary creatures and when they're put in barren tanks in a factory farm type environment, they get aggressive, they're highly stressed."She said the Green, Labour and Animal Justice parties were supporting the ban."We're still waiting for others to come back to us," said MacDonald.The petition will be put to Parliament next year.Minister for Oceans and Fisheries Shane Jones declined to comment.