“She said, ‘you shouldn’t have come in here’. There was no apology.
“These types of incidents are warnings that should give dog control officers more power.”
He said he was no expert, but from what he had read in the media, the dogs that caused the most harm generally had a history of bad behaviour, and he felt the option of “temperament assessment” for dogs should be available to authorities.
The Government is reviewing the Dog Control Act 1996 after a surge in serious and fatal dog attacks around the country.
Candidates in November’s general election share their opinions of the National Government’s review of the Animal Control Act. Photo / Unsplash
Key areas under review include evaluating stronger consequences and penalties for non-compliant dog owners, mandatory desexing rules and addressing irresponsible breeding practices, and identifying and removing clauses that place unnecessary resource pressures or legal barriers on local authorities.
Hastings District Council receives 1300 roaming-dog callouts each year, and recent incidents – including two cats killed by roaming dogs within days and a woman attacked by a Rottweiler – have renewed calls for greater owner accountability.
Hawke’s Bay Today asked local candidates in November’s general election what changes they would push for if elected.
Tukituki
Act
Attacked candidate Rob Douglas said he’d also had three close calls with dogs while visiting properties as a property valuer.
“I have genuine skin in the game. As a property valuer, I visit a lot of properties with dogs on-site, and I’ve had three close calls with dogs attempting to bite me. I wasn’t injured, but I’ve had to fend them off, and lost a shirt to one of them.”
“If you choose to own a dog, you are responsible for controlling it and for the consequences of its actions. There’s no hiding behind the argument that ‘the dog did it’.”
He said NZ needed a consistent, evidence-based framework for dangerous dogs, including “mandatory destruction in serious cases” and “proper temperament assessments” in others.
He said this was preferable to the current inconsistent council-by-council decisions or the potential for breed-specific bans.
“The overseas evidence is consistent, ban one breed and the same behaviour shows up in the next one down the list.”
He said roaming dogs were a big part of the problem, and councils needed a clear definition of what a roaming dog was, with escalating penalties for repeat offenders, and clear guidelines to allow dog control officers to intervene.
National
Catherine Wedd, MP for Tukituki, said she shared residents’ concerns about dangerous and uncontrolled dogs, particularly when people and other animals in the community were at risk.
“Every New Zealander should be able to feel safe in their community and not fear being attacked by a dangerous and uncontrolled dog.”
She said the Government was reviewing the act to make sure councils had the tools needed to manage dangerous dogs, protect communities, and hold irresponsible owners to account.
“Whether stronger penalties are needed, or greater powers for council officers, all options remain on the table.
“We have already acted by releasing updated Dog Control and Enforcement Guidelines, giving councils clearer and more consistent guidance under the current framework.”
Opportunity
Rachel Ward said Opportunity supported a review of the Act and looked forward to assessing the content.
“While the direction proposed so far appears sound, interventions must be met with proportionate funding for councils from central government to increase dog control functions in line with the new legislation. This is a nationwide problem, and should not be an extra cost that falls on ratepayers,” Ward said.
She said she would like to see a strategy with stronger incentives for owners to attend foundational behaviour and training programmes included in legislation, bringing the focus back to prevention.
“Dog ownership and service is deeply entwined with our community, but they can cause immense harm without appropriate boundaries and training – and that should be at the forefront of all amendment work.”
Labour
Dan Scott said the issue was close to his heart.
“We had pet chickens when I was growing up in Taradale, and roaming dogs killed some of them not once but twice.”
He said it was great that so many people across the Bay had pet dogs, but they needed to be kept under control.
“I feel it’s incredibly important that we give councils more tools to deal with roaming dogs and introduce penalties for repeat offenders, so that we can keep our communities safer.”
Napier
NZ First
Te Kira Lawrence said a dangerous dog did not understand the law, but its owner did.
“That’s where accountability has to sit,” Lawrence said.
She agreed changes were needed and couldn’t “come fast enough”.
“New Zealand First has taken a strong position on this. Winston Peters has said owners of dogs that kill someone should potentially face manslaughter charges, while Shane Jones has been clear that the current law is not fit for purpose and that much tougher consequences are needed.”
She said Kiwis should be able to walk around their neighbourhoods and feel safe.
National
Katie Nimon, MP for Napier, said recent incidents involving roaming and uncontrolled dogs in Hawke’s Bay were concerning.
“I agree the current system needs to do more to prevent harm before it happens.”
Nimon said she would like to see stronger consequences for repeat offending, better tools for councils to intervene earlier when dogs were known to be roaming or aggressive, and a closer look at whether current penalties are sufficiently deterrent.
She said responsible dog owners do the right thing every day.
“We need to make sure those who repeatedly fail to control their animals are held accountable, and that our communities, children and pets are kept safe.”
Nimon said she visited the Napier Pound and spoke with rangers about aspects of the current law that made their jobs more difficult, or undermined their work.
Labour
Alex Hedley said Labour would continue the Dog Control Act review, aiming to introduce penalties for repeat offenders and more council tools for roaming dogs.
Greens
Roy Boonen said the review included consulting and seeking advice from councils and stakeholders.
“The Green Party supports appropriate decision-making based on involving those directly affected by both the current law and proposed changes.”
Napier Act candidate John (Johno) Ormond, and Tukituki candidates Kaleb Hawkins, Independent, Taine Randell, NZ First, and Mark Longworth, Greens, did not respond.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.