Government to proceed with microchipping

Associate Minister for Local Government Nanaia Mahuta said today that the government will be proceeding with the dog microchipping laws in the form it has been passed through Parliament today.

“In 2003, Parliament passed microchipping legislation for all dogs with the support of all parties except Act.

“Parliament has now voted to exempt working farm dogs, as is the case in New South Wales. While we believe this reduces the effectiveness of the measure, we will proceed with the legislation as it now stands to protect New Zealanders as best we can.

“It is disappointing that a majority of the Green Party did not keep the assurances which their leader and their spokesperson gave on this issue. This is an internal management issue for the Green Party.

“The Green MPs who changed their mind appear to have done so in the belief that the government would not proceed with microchipping at all. That assumption is wrong.

“Labour, New Zealand First, and the Progressives are the only parties which have been consistent on this issue since microchipping and the other changes which strengthened the Dog Control Act were voted in by Parliament in 2003. It should be remembered that these changes were introduced because the public asked Parliament to do something about vicious dog attacks.

“The government is determined to ensure the safety of the public as best we can with the wide range of dog control measures put in place over the past few years,” Nanaia Mahuta said.