Dog Control Policy and By-Law Update on Council Agenda

Published on 21 November 2024

Changes to Waitaki District’s Dog Control Policy and Dog By-Law will be brought to next week’s full meeting of the Waitaki District Council. The review of both the policy and by-law began in late 2023, with a community engagement about the existing policies. Council must review them every ten years, with the last update being 2014. Public consultation saw nearly 150 responses, a huge increase on the 82 who submitted a decade ago. Thirteen people also made in-person submissions to Councillors in September.

Following that, Councillors reviewed submissions and requested Council officers consider changes and present options which reflected community feedback. Councillors will consider these options and recommendations at Tuesday’s meeting, and make any variations as part of their final decisions. Changes that are recommended in the updated Dog Control Policy and by-law include:

• A six-month trial of allowing dogs on-lead in the Oamaru CBD and North End shops, with usual conditions that dogs must be under continuous control and tethered securely to not cause a nuisance to any person.

• A six-month trial of allowing dogs on-lead on Harbour Street between sunrise and sunset, with dogs prohibited outside of those times.

• That dogs on-lead can be allowed on sports-ground where pitches are not physically marked out, but that dogs are prohibited from marked pitches.

• A nominated amount from each dog registration (excluding working dog registration) contribute to a fund for desexing dogs in the Waitaki District if there is an identified need such as financial hardship.

• The maximum number of dogs owned by those with a permit is 5. This excludes rural properties where working dogs are kept for herding or driving stock.

• The Alps to Ocean trail between Saleyards Road and Cormacks Kia Ora Road be a dogs on-lead area.

• The Kakanui River Mouth, from the south end of Cobblestone Road to the river mouth will be a dog prohibited area.

However it is also recommended that the following does not change:

• Harbour Terrace at Kakanui will remain a dog on-lead area.

• Beach Road from North Otago Golf Course to Thousand Acre Road will not be an off-lead exercise area.

• Dogs will not be allowed within 10 metres of children’s play equipment except when passing on lead under continuous control.

Waitaki District Council would like to thank everyone who participated in the pre-engagement survey, the consultation and made submissions in-person to Council and appreciates the time and thought that went into shaping a better Dog Control Policy and Dog By-law for the District.

You can read the proposals here.