Dogs & Other Animals
Are your Dog Rego details up to date?
Dog registration reminders for 2023/24 will be sent in May
You will be able to buy your new 2023/24 dog registration from 1st June 2023 for the new registration year which begins 1 July 2023. We will be sending out reminders to everyone on our dog register to help you register on time and avoid a penalty.
To ensure you receive your reminders please let us know if any of your contact details have changed. Have you changed email address or moved home recently? If you have moved out of the region, let us know so that we don't chase you for your registration.
Has your canine friend sadly passed away since the last registration? Let us know so that we do not send you a reminder that you may find upsetting.
To tell us about any changes, please click the button below and fill in the short 2 minute form.
Late Dog Registrations
All dogs owners were required to register their dogs by 31 July 2022. To give owners a final opportunity to avoid a 50% late payment penalty, Council extended the date to 20 August 2022.
By law, Council is unable to provide further extensions of the penalty date. Additional $300 infringements for unregistered dogs were also applied from 1 September 2022.
All registrations for 2022-23 will now pay an additional 50% late registration fee and a $300 infringement.
Dog Registration
WHY DO I HAVE TO REGISTER MY DOG?
It is a government requirement that all dogs over the age of 3 months are registered and microchipped (S5 (1)a Dog control Act 1996)Ensuring that all dogs are registered benefits dog owners and the public in the following ways:
- enables council to respond to reports of dog attacks and complaints about barking and stray animals
- provide shelter services: impoundment, care for strays and reuniting dogs with their owners
- enforce compliance, issue infringements and patrol beaches and parks
- prosecute serious dog related offences (under the Dog Control Act ).
If you are found with an unregistered dog you may be issued with a fine and your dog may be impounded.
The dog registration year runs from 01 July to the 30 June each year. Dog registration forms and payment are due by July 31. After this date a 50% late payment fee is added. Dog registrations won’t be issued until Council has received a completed registration form and payment.
Registration costs
If you are not sure what charges apply to you, call us.
Fees below are cost per dog per year.
Type of Fee:
Standard: $80
Neutered or spayed dogs: $60
Menacing/dangerous dogs: $100
Working dogs (less than three): $60 each if desexed or $80 each not desexed (standard rate)
Working dogs (three or more): $160 total
Guide dogs: No charge
Licence fee (applies if keeping more than two dogs in a residential area): $40
Late registration penalties:
In accordance with the Dog Control Act, a 50% late registration charge is added to all payments received after 1 August.
For example: Single dog registration received after the 1 August is $120 ($80+50%)
* Charges can be adjusted proportionally for new dogs registered part way through the year - call us for more information.
Microchipping
All dogs registered in New Zealand for the first time after July 2006, except working farm dogs, need to be microchipped.
Microchipping helps us identify lost or stolen dogs and reunite dogs and owners. It is a simple and relatively painless procedure done by the vet.
Over 80% of the lost pets in the Christchurch Earthquake were re-united with their owners due to information contained on the microchip
A microchip lasts the lifetime of your dog. It has a unique number that can be listed on both council records and the National Dog Database. Once microchipped, your dog can be "scanned" for his or her microchip number and easily identified through either database.
Once your dog is microchipped, make sure we have a record of the chip number by giving us a copy of the microchipping certificate.
From the 1st August 2019 if your dog is picked up by animal control and is not microchipped an infringement notice of $300 will be issued to the owner. Talk top your vet about the simple procedure of microchipping your dog if it has not already been done.
See links below for more information on microchipping.
Department of Internal Affairs - Microchipping
Microchipping Questions and Answers
Better Dog Control = Safer Communities
Department of Internal Affairs - Dog Control
Dog Owner Fines and Infringement Notices
Dog Control Reports
- Dog Control Report 2022
- Dog Control Report 2021
- Dog Control Report 2020
- Dog Control Report 2019
- Dog Control Report 2018
- Dog Control Report 2017
- Dog Control Report 2016
Do you have any questions/comments about animal control? If so, get in touch by sending an e-mail to regulatory@kaikoura.govt.nz
Do's and Don'ts
- Do call (not text) 027 668 8780 if you find a lost/loose animal/dog.
- Do call (not text) 027 668 8780 if you lose or need help with controlling an animal/dog
What not to do:
- Do not visit the homes of our Officers looking for your dog. Dog's are kept at the Council Pound, not at the home's of our Officers
- Do not call any other number (including the personal numbers of our Officers) to contact Animal Control.
We impound all roaming dogs for public and the dog's safety. Payable fees for the dog's release are:
- $80 for the first impoundment
- $110 second impoundment
- $160 third impoundment
- $25 sustenance fee per night
- An investigation fee of $135 per hour is also applicable for finding and uplifting the dog(s).
The dog(s) will not be released until all fees are paid. If your dog(s) are unregistered when they are impounded they will not be released until registration is also paid.
All required fees must be paid at the Council office. Our Regulatory Officer will then arrange to meet with you to reunite you with your dog (s).
Phone 027 688 8780 to report an issue. Our Regulatory Officer may contact to discuss and seek further information from you.
How Animal Control Works
KDC is responsible for registering and generally keeping an eye on dogs in our District. As part of this our Dog Control Officers are called out to deal with stray or loose dogs on a regular basis.
Our Regulatory Enforcement Officers (Animal Control) work weekly shifts. The Officer on duty changes from week to week.
We work with the police to keep dogs, dog owners and our Regulatory Enforcement Officers safe. We involve them when we need to and keep them up to date with any issues. For safety reasons, if Regulatory Enforcement Officers are called out after 5pm they may be accompanied by Police.
Ring the duty Regulatory Enforcement Officer on 027 668 8780. They’ll ask for information about the dog/animal and then let you know if/when they find it.
Ring the duty Regulatory Enforcement Officer on 027 668 8780. Do NOT approach any strange dogs yourself as it can be dangerous.
The purpose of the Dog Control Policy is to provide clear guidance to the public and Council staff involved in the administration of the Dog Control Act 1996. It also outlines your responsibilities as a Dog owner.
Please share this information with anyone you know who has questions about Dog Control. If your questions aren’t answered here fell free to contact us and we’ll get you the information you need.
Please include payment for all dogs in one transaction.
- Over the counter
- Bring the completed and signed dog registration form and pay by cash or eftpos at the Kaikoura District Council office, Level 2, 96 West End, Kaikoura.
- Online
Make a direct credit to Kaikoura District Council account number 02-0856-0011698-000. Please use your Owner ID followed by your dogs name as reference (if you have more than one dog, you only need to supply one name).
Your dog's registration fee helps fund the activities of the Council's Animal Control services. This means that the cost of providing a professional Animal Control service is shared between all dog owners.
The Kaikoura District Council is required by law to ensure that all dogs within the Kaikoura District are registered. Registration indicates to the Council that the owner is aware of their legal responsibilities as a dog owner. These responsibilities are contained in the Dog Control Act 1996 and the Kaikoura District Councils Dog Control Bylaw 2015.
Registered dogs receive a colour-coded tag that must be worn at all times on their collar. The colour changes each year. With this tag, your dog can be easily identified and returned to you if he is found wandering. Other registered dogs that may be upsetting your pet or causing you a problem to your family or property, can also be identified and incidents followed up with their owners.
If you dog lose its tag, there is a small charge to replace it. The replacement tag will have a new registration number.
If you change your address or give your dog to someone else to look after, either permanently or for longer than 14 days, you must tell us. If you and your dog change address but remain in the same Council area, please contact us within 14 days.
If you or your dog move to another area, find out what you need to do to transfer your registration by contacting the Council in that area (usually you will go into the new Council and simply swap your current registration tag for a new one in the new area) at no charge.
If your dog dies, please notify the Council as soon as possible. Once we receive your notification, we will refund your registration for every full month remaining in the registration year. For example if your dog is currently registered and dies in September, provided that we have received notification during that same month, the registration fee will be refunded from October until the end of the financial year which is 30 June annually.
Puppies need to be registered by the time they are 12 weeks old (3 months). It is best to apply for your registration well before that date.
Working dogs include disability assist dogs, police dogs and dogs used primarily for herding/driving stock. They do not include hunting dogs.
If you live in a residential zone and own, or are keeping, more than two dogs you will need to apply for a permit for that property. You must apply by completing an application for a Multiple Dog Property Licence.
A Dog Control Officer will visit your property. The history of you as a dog owner and that of your dogs will be taken into consideration; also the cleanliness and size of the kennelling facilities on your property.
If you move address or acquire a different dog, you will need to re-apply for another permit.
