Feedback for new dog bylaw set to open in April
Waipā District Council’s Dog Control Policy and Bylaw review is scheduled for later this year after the council was swamped with initial feedback on the review in August 2022.
The council then received over 300 pieces of feedback, most of them in response to dog exercise rules at locations like Kakepuku Maunga where the council had indicated it would consider banning dogs after concerns raised by Te Kopua Marae committee.
The council’s group manager district growth and regulatory Wayne Allan says the feedback had been very clear.
“People feel strongly . . . But there will be no decisions made until after the community has had its say during the formal public consultation process,” Allan says.
The council is currently working on a draft policy and bylaw which is set to open for public feedback in midapril to mid-may.
“Community feedback received last year as part of an early engagement process will play a key role in drafting the revised policy and bylaw,” the council says.
The dog bylaw covers issues like dog exercise areas, the number of dogs allowed on town properties, rules and safety measures to control nuisance dogs, registration fees and dog welfare.
The rules around dog exercise areas, on-leash and dog-prohibited areas sparked outrage last year as the council initially indicated it would consider banning dogs from Kakepuku maunga, Lake Te Koo Utu in Cambridge, the Kihikihi Domain sports fields and Te Awamutu’s Memorial Park.
“There were a range of views suggesting changes, with the community evenly divided between those who want to see dogs exercised off-leash versus on-leash. Very few people have asked for dogs to be prohibited anywhere with the exception of Kakepuku maunga, where there has been a specific request from local hapū for cultural reasons,” the council says.
“The Concept Plans for Lake Te Koo Utu in Cambridge and Te Awamutu War Memorial Park recommend only allowing dogs in these locations on-leash. The Dog Control Policy review will re-visit and recheck these recommendations to see if there are grounds for suggesting changes.”
The council says that while some off-leash or prohibited locations may change and some dog exercise areas may need to give way to other community facilities, it will do its best to replace “like-for-like” so there is no overall loss.
“Waipā is growing, and with more people come more dogs, and a need for more exercise areas.”