It's A Dogs Life in Waitaki

Published on 17 December 2024

Today, Waitaki District Council approved the new Dog Control By-law and an amended Dog Control Policy.

After an engagement and consultation period that began in December 2023, the new by-law includes a 6-month trial allowing dogs on-lead to be walked in the Oamaru CBD, North End shops area and on Harbour Street between sunrise and sunset. Currently all three areas are dogs prohibited.

This will give the community and businesses the opportunity to feed back on these changes, and Council will paws and consider making the changes permanent in mid-2025.

Other changes include;

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

However, after the consultation submissions mean the following will not be changing:

• 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.

Amendments to the Dog Control Policy put forward increased the emphasis on education for dog owners and will be integrated into the policy before it is signed and confirmed by the Mayor and the Chief Executive.

More information including maps will soon be available on our website.

ENDS