Govt working with councils on dog control measures

The government is committed to working with all local authorities to ensure that new dog control laws are phased in as smoothly as possible.

Associate Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta today repeated assurances to all territorial authorities concerned about implementation of the new law. From 1 July this year, all newly registered dogs will be required to have microchips, as part of a range of measures designed to improve public safety.

"I want to reiterate to those councils, that central government is already working closely with Local Government New Zealand to phase in these measures over time and ensure that they are workable.

"We want to ensure that councils have enough time to fully understand their obligations under the new law – of which microchipping is only one small part – and to make this transition as smooth as possible."

Ms Mahuta said while it was normal for all councils to prioritise their work, most will already be doing dog control activities as part of meeting their existing statutory obligations.

"The new measures actually give councils more power to deal with dangerous, threatening, lost or problem animals – as well as give greater certainty about ownership by linking animals with their rightful owners. For this reason, a number of councils, particularly those in urban areas with large dog populations, have embraced the changes.

"People should also be reminded that the changes only apply to dogs newly registered after 1 July, so for example the farmer with five working dogs will not suddenly be required to microchip his animals. This means that the financial impact of these changes will be felt gradually as only new dogs are registered.

"Microchipping is also a one-off cost, and it is likely that as technology improves, these costs will come down over time."