12 June 2024

Media: Rotorua Daily Post

Topic: Dog mauling

Enquiry

I'm just following up on an interview I did last night and sending request for comment regarding a small dog that was mauled by three big dogs.

The family live at 6 Otonga Road. After interviewing them I have some follow up questions about their case. I am aware that Jaylin Kendey, Virginia Kenedy's daughter has located where she thinks the dogs live yesterday afternoon and I was wanting to find out if the council Animal Control Unit will be following this up today and what they procedure is in this case, where there is CCTV footage and the dogs have been located?

Will their owners be approached by council?

What are the rules in a case like this where dogs have been found to have bit or killed another dog or animal?

How does the council deal with roaming dogs?

What is the council's stance on roaming dogs in Rotorua?

How many reports of roaming dogs have council had since January 2024?

How many reports of dogs attacking people have council had in the past 52 weeks?

How many infringement notices have been issued in Rotorua in the past 52 weeks?

How many owners have been disqualified from owning pets in the past 52 weeks?

How many dogs have been put down as a result of attacking another animal or person in the past 52 weeks?

What is council's message for letting dogs out at night?

Reporter later dropped the requests for data as this was going to take longer to collate.

Response

From Kurt Williams, Manager, Community and Regulatory Services:

This was a very unfortunate incident and obviously very upsetting for the owner of the dog that was attacked.

Regarding the investigation:

As the investigation is ongoing it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on specifics at this time. We’ll deal directly with the people involved.

What are the rules in a case like this where dogs have been found to have bit or killed another dog or animal?

All dogs should be under control at all times. This applies to all dog owners. Responsible dog owners should not allow their dogs to be in a position where they may roam. Where a dog has been confirmed as having attacked, Council has at its disposal a number of options under the Dog Control Act. The options are applied on a case by case basis to ensure they are appropriate and proportionate to the issue at hand.

How does the council deal with roaming dogs?

Council proactively patrols for roaming dogs and given the moving nature of roaming dogs we also rely on the community to report them immediately. While not every dog reported will be able to be found and seized, this information still assists Council to monitor any trends and where required, adapt our services accordingly.

The owners of dogs picked up for roaming will typically need to pay a release fee as a minimum to retrieve their dog from Council’s pound. Repeat offending attracts higher release fees.

What is the council's stance on roaming dogs in Rotorua? What is council's message for letting dogs out at night?

No dogs should be allowed to roam at any time. The obligation to prevent roaming rests squarely with dog owners who bear the ultimate responsibility of ensuring their dog is under control at all times.

Roaming dogs put people and animals at risk as well as creating problems for your neighbours and your community.

Tips for dog owners to help prevent attacks:

• Keep your dog well secured when unsupervised
• Keep the dog on a lead when in a public place
• Get a dog that suits your home. Have you got plenty of room for it to move around?
• Make sure your dog has adequate daily exercise
• A fully fenced property is preferred
• Make sure you consider the cost of a dog before you get one. Dogs can cost at least $500 a year in food and supplies. Annual registration and vet fees are on top of that.
• Give the dog the attention it needs so it doesn't get bored. Do you have the time?
• Talk to any children in your household about how to stay safe around dogs, even family pets.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Local Democracy Reporter

Topic: Vehicle with RLC logo at Pukehina

Enquiry

I was contacted by someone who saw a vehicle with RLC signage on it at Pukehina beach last weekend on a "joyride".

I was wondering if someone can please clarify for me if it was a council vehicle, or if the council pays for the vehicle or its maintenance or fuel?

Who does it belong to?

Who is responsible for it?

Who drives it?

The reporter clarified that by “joyride” the person she had spoken to was: was referring to the fact the vehicle with multiple passengers was in Pukehina on Saturday afternoon, which she sees as quite far from home considering it had Rotorua council signage on it.

*Reporter provided images of vehicle

Response

We informed the reporter that this vehicle is owned by council’s wastewater services contractor Trility, not by council, so she would need to refer her questions to them.

With Trility’s permission, we provided a contact name and details.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Media: Radio NZ (Waikato)

Topic: Building information

Enquiry

I’m investigating whether there is a stall on building on newly unlocked land in the Waikato region. Anecdotally it seems like there has been a bit of land in the region unlocked for development by councils but not being built on - I need some figures to see for sure though!

Can you please provide the number of 224C certificates issued in your area from January 2022 – end of May 2024 and the number of sites the subdivisions created. If this can be broken down per subdivision that would be great, if not please just say so.

Please also tell me the number of building consents issued for new builds during that same time period.

Response

We informed the reporter that:

There are no subdivisions of scale within our district in the area that falls within the Waikato region.

Our area includes only a small portion that is part of the Waikato region – by virtue of the Waikato Regional Council boundaries – and the rest is part of Bay of Plenty.

Figures we would be able to provide would be for our whole district, not split into BOP and Waikato, and it would require extensive manual searching of our files to pull out the info that relates only to Waikato.

*Based on the above information, the reporter indicated she did not require anything further from RLC.