Local Government Minister Simon Watts says recent attacks have been horrific.
Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
The government is ordering a complete review of the decades-old Dog Control Act after sustained criticism the current law is not enough.
It comes after a spate of incidents, including the death of a woman in Northland last month after she was attacked by a pack of dogs.
The SPCA says it has been calling for changes for more than a decade.
Council animal control officers have also been calling for more powers.
What dog control laws say about fatal attacks – and what people want to change
Local Government Minister Simon Watts said recent attacks had been horrific.
“New Zealanders are appalled by recent attacks by aggressive and out-of-control dogs. People are reporting that they are avoiding areas in their neighbourhood because they have been attacked or have reason to believe they will be,” he said.
“Kiwis should be able to walk, run, or take their kids to the park without worrying about being harmed.”
Watts said the government had heard clearly from Local Government NZ and councils that the Dog Control Act is outdated and stopping them doing their jobs.
This was putting unnecessary strain on the wider system he said.
Thousands of dogs put down amidst struggle with roaming dogs
The scope of the review is still being worked out but will look at areas that may be putting barriers in place.
It will also delve into penalties and consequences for dog owners who are not compliant and obligations around desexing.
“We are also updating enforcement guidelines so dog control officers have a consistent approach to their work, with clarity on how they should respond and what tools are available to them,” the minister said.
But Watts said dog control issues were best managed locally by councils, which already have enforcement powers under the existing law.
He has sent a letter to every council outlining what he says are his expectations, and to encourage them to make full use of the powers they have now.
“As we review the Act, I want councils to be able to confidently say they are using every power available to tackle this issue,” Watts said.
The Police Minister says police will support dog control officers during the review.
Photo: RNZ / Mark Papalii
Police Minister Mark Mitchell said while the review is underway, police will support dog control officers when they need help.
“Police have a role to play in dog control when council staff have safety concerns while dealing with dangerous and high-risk dogs. Police will accompany council staff where Police-only powers are required or there are significant safety risks,” Mitchell said.
Conservation Minister Tama Potaka said the Department of Conservation will step up monitoring on conservation land and expand its professional hunter response so cases involving feral or uncontrolled dogs can be dealt with quickly.
Speaking to RNZ’s Checkpoint before the Northland death, Simon Watts said there would not be time for law changes before the election.
However the prime minister later said he was open to the government intervening.
‘Lives are at stake’ – SPCA
SPCA chief scientific officer Arnja Dale said the Dog Control Act, at 30 years old, was woefully out of date.
“The SPCA is thrilled that the government is finally making a commitment to review the Dog Control Act, and this is an opportunity to actually deliver an evidence-based, preventative-focused reform that New Zealanders urgently need,” she told RNZ.
“And it’s really important we get this right, because lives are at stake.”
Opinion: Dog attacks keep happening in NZ. Why hasn’t the law kept up?
Dale said the review needed to be robust, well-resourced, evidence based and comprehensive.
“And what we’ve seen in the past is that tinkering around the edges or reacting only after high-profile tragedies do not prevent future harm, and New Zealand actually has this opportunity to get it right,” she said.
On the minister writing to local councils with expectations to use the powers they have now, Dale said these powers were “absolutely not enough”.
“But also, worse than that, they’re inconsistently applied, it’s essentially a lottery,” she said.
“And that’s not good enough.”
Dale was mindful that a review would take at least two years.
“And then it needs to go through all the legislative processes on top of that, so we’re talking about a few years out, but it’s a first step.”
Current rules not sufficient – LGNZ
Local Government NZ (LGNZ) said after the government’s announcement that it welcomed plans for the review, but it was an overhaul of the law that was much needed.
“Dangerous dogs are intimidating and affect people’s sense of safety. It’s clear we need to reform our dog control laws to better protect communities,” LGNZ president and Gisborne mayor Rehette Stoltz said.
“One council we spoke to was preparing to prosecute the owners of two dogs but couldn’t legally hold the animals in the meantime. One of those dogs then went on to attack someone. Changes need to prevent instances like this happening again,” she said.
Stoltz said LGNZ was also pleased about the additional help from police.
Four deaths in four years
Four people have been killed by dogs in the past four years.
Mihiata Te Rore
Photo: Supplied
Mihiata Te Rore, 62, was killed in February, when she was attacked while visiting a home in Northland’s Kaihu.
Earlier this month a woman was charged with owning a dog that caused the death of a child, following an investigation into a dog attack on Timothy Tu’uaki Rolleston-Bryan in the Bay of Plenty, in March 2025.
Neville Thomson
Photo: Supplied
Late last year a man was sentenced to 3.5 years jail for the manslaughter of Neville Thomson, who died after a dog attack at a Northland property in 2022.
Northland woman Elizabeth Whittaker was killed when she was attacked in her backyard, in Kawakawa, in 2023.
Auckland Council urges firm timeline
Auckland Council said it had already done its own extensive review of the legislation and offered to share its work with others.
It said the government review needed to progress with urgency and have a firm timeline.
Council director of community Rachel Kelleher said Simon Watts’ letter to councils and mayors acknowledged the Act was not fit for purpose.
“The current legislation is not enabling us to get on top of the increasing number of dogs roaming our streets or take action in circumstances where we know a dog poses a risk to the public,” she said.
Ministers had made a fair point about making sure councils use the tools already available to them, she said.
“We agree that council policies must include tools like requiring menacing breeds to be desexed – our does,” Kelleher said.
Auckland’s number of known dogs is 130,000 of which only 88 percent are registered.
The council impounded a record 10,000 dogs over 2024 and 2025 with less than half being claimed by owners.
Only 40 percent of impounded dogs were known to the council, and only 32 percent registered.
The council said there were 2864 reported dog attack incidents, with more attacks on people attributed to a rise in roaming dogs.
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