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Resolution
number OR/2025/40
MOVED by Member T
Churton, seconded by Member M Voyce:
That
the Ōrākei Local Board:
a) receive the
public feedback from people in the local board area to the Governing Body
proposal to amend matters
of regional significance in the Auckland Council Kaupapa mo ngā Kurī | Policy on Dogs 2019 and Ture a Rohe Tiakina Kurī | Dog Management Bylaw 2019 in the agenda report.
b) provide the following views on how the
Governing Body Dog Policy and Bylaw Panel should address public feedback to
the proposal in (a) to assist the Panel in its deliberations.
c)
note that the
standardisation of rules has enabled policy settings to be lowered in the
interest of making them understandable.
d)
highlight the
significant difficulties in implementing prompt enforcement and recommend
that animal control officer resources include additional contracted officers
to maximise efficiency;
i)
it makes no sense to have bylaw
officers who do not also have authority and ability to render animal
management enforcement and;
ii)
if it is a resource issue, extra
funding be provided for an additional two animal management wardens in
Ōrākei.
e)
discourage multiple
dog walking and recommend that a multiple dog walker should have no more than
four dogs under their control at any one time.
f)
emphasise that any
multiple dogs should never be off-leash due to incidents from single
off-leash dogs requiring high management and control, along with the ability
for one individual to manage more than two off-leash dogs appropriately as
unlikely.
g)
recommend that to
efficiently manage multiple dog walking and ensure multiple dogs are not
off-leash, dog walkers should be licensed and have undertaken unique,
specific training to the trade.
h)
recommend the
following in relation to regional park dog access rules:
i)
all regional park dog
access rules must be amended so that the starting position for any regional
park is ‘dogs are prohibited’ and concessions are made from that
starting reference. This reinforces a behaviour of respect and improves an
awareness of our taonga, and that exercising domestic animals in regional
parks is a privilege and not a right. This default prohibition rule sets a
clear prioritisation of regional parks as places of environmental and
recreational sanctity.
ii)
any foreshore area in any
regional park known as a bird nesting area and any native forest area in any
regional park must be dog prohibited areas and any dog exercise concession
should be restricted to ON-leash only.
iii)
dog access rules in
regional parks should be scheduled to acknowledge some defined areas which
may be suitably used for ON-leash dog access without generating nuisance or
disturbance to wildlife or other park users.
iv)
the dispensation areas
should be independently assessed to ensure dog access will not jeopardise the
park environment and returned to boards for recommendations. For example, a
well-worn bike track area may be ideal for owners to run/bike with their dog on
a leash.
i)
note that greater
public education and awareness on the damage dogs do to sports grounds is
essential region-wide.
j)
highlight that the
default setting for dog access in any public place should be on-leash along
with dispensations creating suitable off-leash areas following that default
setting.
k)
recommend that for
clarity, information regarding the proposed wording changes for regional
parks be displayed via a chart showing what the current rule is versus the
proposed rule.
l)
appoint Member Troy Churton to
present the above views to the Governing Body Dog Policy and Bylaw Panel.
m)
delegate authority to the
local board chair to appoint a replacement to any
appointed member in l) who is unable to present to the Panel.
CARRIED
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