Council has limited ability to act when animals are causing a nuisance or becoming a risk to public safety (for example, stock escaping onto a public road and creating an accident).

We’re proposing to add a new section to address these situations and update the purpose of the Bylaw to reflect this change.

There are growing calls across New Zealand to consider how cats can be responsibly managed. This is to protect native wildlife and biodiversity, but also to improve the welfare of cats.

We’re proposing to introduce new rules that reflect what responsible cat owners already do, such as microchipping and desexing.

Council's also considering other changes that are smaller or more administrative in nature. We welcome your feedback on these.