\u201cWe can\u2019t see a future without a rescue in place.\u201d<\/p>\n
The animal rescue is funded by donations from the community and entirely run by volunteers. White said it\u2019s about so much more than just animals.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started off with the inability to walk properly, and through work here I\u2019m now without a walker, you know it just gets better and better \u2013 we see and meet people from all walks of life as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grace White and Labrador Gary. Photo RNZ, Alexa Cook<\/p>\n
The council told RNZ it reviewed its dog pound operation in June and found there wasn\u2019t enough capacity, so it needed to use the extra space currently occupied by the animal rescue.<\/p>\n
But Ruahine Animal Rescue chair Carma Anderson said that didn\u2019t add up.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom what we see on a daily basis we don\u2019t notice their kennels are full. No one has ever come to us saying they are at capacity and can they utilise some of our kennel space.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the council\u2019s community safety and compliance manager, Logan McKay, told RNZ it\u2019s not just about kennel space and the pound needed three separate areas for rehoming, isolation and dogs with an unknown status.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt may sound selfish, but it\u2019s not about the Ruahine Animal Rescue \u2013 it\u2019s about our ability to provide a pound, a safe space for the animals we take in and our staff,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Ruahine Animal Rescue has rehomed 261 animals since it opened in December 2024. Photo \/ RNZ, Alexa Cook<\/p>\n
The council couldn\u2019t provide RNZ with figures showing how many dogs it impounded each year, but said the data could be requested through the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act.<\/p>\n
Instead, it pointed to information collected about the number of \u201cdog-related complaints\u201d received every year, which had risen from 861 in 2022\/23 to 1126 in 2024\/25. The complaints were broken into categories such as attacks on people or other animals, barking, fouling, wandering and\/or impounded.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery metric we are measuring has increased so we need to make sure we have a modern pound fit for purpose,\u201d McKay said.<\/p>\n
The dog pound. Photo \/ RNZ, Alexa Cook<\/p>\n
Since Ruahine Animal Rescue opened in 2024, it had rehomed 261 animals, and Anderson said the charity was now desperately trying to figure out its future so it could continue to save animals.<\/p>\n
She has launched a campaign to \u201crescue the rescue\u201d and was trying to raise enough funds to buy a property for the animal shelter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I had a magic wand I would purchase an existing building and modify it for purpose and keep it in the community forever,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t just provide services for animals, it fosters the spirit of voluntary service and provides opportunities for youth and connections for the elderly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public challenges the mayor over council decision<\/p>\n
At a public meeting in Waipukurau on Sunday, residents asked Mayor Will Foley why the council was evicting the animal rescue.<\/p>\n
Mayor Will Foley answers the public’s questions. Photo \/ RNZ, Alexa Cook<\/p>\n
One man questioned the council\u2019s decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would like to know … if you can\u2019t help animals you can\u2019t help anyone. I need a reason why they want them out of there because I want to help,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The mayor replied, promising he was taking their concerns seriously. \u201cI\u2019m here today to listen and learn and help as much as we can,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Among the dozens of people attending were Nancy Neal and her friend, Maureen James.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m a ratepayer; therefore I have a share in that property with these people sitting next to me and we want to see Ruahine Animal Rescue stay there, so our first question is why are you having to move?\u201d Neal said.<\/p>\n
Nancy Neal (left) and her friend Maureen James. Photo \/ RNZ, Alexa Cook<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy are they having to shift out of what is an absolutely suitable spot and set up well for them,\u201d James asked.<\/p>\n
Lisa Bennett was also worried.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a real need for it in the community. So many animals get abused and thrown away like garbage, and they don\u2019t deserve it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Anderson said Sunday\u2019s meeting resulted in a surge of public support.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe community did not disappoint. They feel, given the history of this piece of land, it is right that Ruahine would continue to occupy it and are prepared to have their voices heard at the council.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey [are] even asking the question about whether it\u2019d be suitable for the council to vacate this premise and find somewhere else … so it\u2019s ongoing, we will see.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked if there was any hope that the animal rescue may be able to stay put, the council said that was unlikely.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had the conversation this morning, but from our chief executive and from Will … It is about safety. Safety of animals we care for, safety of people that work in this space and the safety of our community when we do remove those dogs,\u201d McKay said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo at this stage we are not reviewing the review.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cWe can\u2019t see a future without a rescue in place.\u201d The animal rescue is funded by donations from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535869,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[3050,4193,3648,4194,5205,38471,73890,71,302,111,43,139,69,8527,196377,1857],"class_list":["post-535868","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-zealand","tag-absolutely","tag-alexa","tag-animal","tag-cook","tag-council","tag-devastating","tag-evicted","tag-from","tag-its","tag-new-zealand","tag-news","tag-newzealand","tag-nz","tag-rescue","tag-ruahine","tag-site"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535868","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535868"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535868\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535868"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535868"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535868"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}