Whangārei District Council Adopts 2025/26 Dog Control Report

Whangārei District Council has formally adopted its Dog Control Policy and Practice Annual Report for the 2025/2026 financial year, fulfilling its statutory reporting obligations under Section 10A of the Dog Control Act 1996.

The annual report was adopted by Council on 15 October 2026 and publicly notified on 21 October 2026. Under Section 10A, all territorial authorities across New Zealand are legally required to report annually on the administration of their dog control policies, enforcement activities, and canine statistics.

Key Operational and Statistical Highlights

• Canine Population Growth: As of 30 June 2026, Whangārei District had 12,508 registered dogs, an increase of 189 dogs (1.5%) compared to the corrected 2024/2025 total of 12,319 dogs.
• Service Requests: The Animal Management team, operating from the centre at Radiata Grove, responded to 4,151 dog control requests during the year. Persistent barking complaints (1,208) and wandering dogs (1,177) accounted for the majority of callouts.
• Enforcement and Prosecutions: Council issued 1,974 infringement notices under the Act, with failure to register a dog representing 1,791 of those penalties. Three prosecutions were concluded with convictions, resulting in statutory owner disqualifications under Section 25(1)(b) of the Act, with four additional court proceedings remaining active.
• Attack Trends: Reported dog attacks totalled 176 for the year, a modest increase of six from the previous reporting period but well below the district's historical average of 263 annual attacks between 2016 and 2020.
• Classifications: Council recorded 24 menacing dogs classified by breed (American Pit Bull Terrier type under Section 33C) and 42 classified by deed (behaviour), bringing the district's total menacing dog count to 297, alongside five dangerous dogs.
• Education and Facilities: The purpose-built Animal Shelter has now been operating for close to two years. School education dog "Max", a docile Labrador, continues to visit primary and intermediate schools across the district to demonstrate canine body language, muzzle training and how to stay safe around a roaming dog.

What This Means for Local Dog Owners

The report highlights that failure to register remains the primary driver of municipal infringement notices in the district. Under its Revenue and Financing Policy, Council aims to recover between 60% and 80% of the cost of dog control through registration fees, infringement fines and impounding charges, with the remainder funded from general rates.

Council says registration and microchipping compliance remained a key priority during the year, and its plan for 2026/2027 includes stepping up the identification and follow-up of unregistered dogs. Wandering dogs (1,177 requests) were also one of the two biggest call-out types.

For more on national registration requirements, see our guide to dog registration in NZ.

Sources

• https://www.wdc.govt.nz/Whats-new/News-and-notices/Dog-report-adopted-20261021
• https://www.wdc.govt.nz/files/8e9a4e38-7bf8-49fb-93a4-bc6319131615/2025-2026-Dog-Control-Report.pdf