Marlborough Council Releases 2025/26 Dog Control Annual Report

Marlborough District Council has published its Dog Control Policy and Practices Annual Report for 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, the annual report councils must produce under Section 10A of the Dog Control Act 1996. Animal control in the district is contracted to Maataa Waka Ki Te Tau Ihu Trust, which has delivered the service since 1998.

Key figures

• Dogs: Marlborough had 10,386 active dogs at 30 June 2026 (10,726 a year earlier): 2,470 registered as working dogs, including disability assist and Police dogs, and 7,916 non-working dogs.
• Multiple Dog Property Licences: 31 were issued in 2025/26, up from 19, and 289 licences are currently active. The bylaw requires one to keep more than two dogs on a property not zoned rural.
• Complaints: Total complaints fell from 2,505 to 2,200. The largest categories were general requests (577), nuisance barking (446), found dogs (429), roaming (348) and lost dogs (163). Complaints about a dog attack, bite or rush fell from 79 to 70: 46 involving a person, 20 bites on other animals and 4 rushes.
• Classifications: 3 dogs were newly classified dangerous, and the district total stays at 14. Five dogs were classified menacing (4 for behaviour under s33A, 1 by breed or type under s33C); the district now has 70 menacing dogs, compared with 84 the previous year.
• Infringements: 214 notices were issued, down from 255. The most common was failure to register, with 140.
• Impounding: 127 dogs were impounded, down from 211. Of these, 109 (85.8%) were released to their owners, 11 were rehomed (4 to the SPCA, 1 to a community agency and 6 to members of the public) and 7 were euthanised.
• Microchipping: 8,926 dogs are microchipped. The number still requiring a microchip fell from 512 to 139 after a reminder-letter programme; the council says the next step is infringements under section 36A(6).

What this means for Marlborough dog owners

Registration for 2025/26 cost $65 for Category One dogs (desexed, microchipped, and no infringement or conviction in the last two years) and $96 for other non-working dogs, with a 50% late penalty for payment after 31 July. Owners of unregistered dogs received a $300 infringement notice under section 42.

The report says Animal Control tries to return lost and found dogs to their owners without impounding them, provided the dog is registered and microchipped, the owner can be contacted and the dog has no previous history of roaming.

For registration requirements, see our checklist for NZ council dog registration and our guide to dog microchipping in NZ.

Sources

• https://www.marlborough.govt.nz/repository/libraries/id:2ifzri1o01cxbymxkvwz/hierarchy/documents/services/dogs-and-other-animals/animals-dog-and-animal-laws/2025-26_Dog_Control_Policy_and_Practices_Annual_Report_Section_10A.pdf