Compromise key for dog access to beaches

Writing a set of rules that pleases both dog owners and conservationists was always going to be a challenge, but Tasman District Council is optimistic it’s struck the right balance.

Last Wednesday, a panel of councillors considered the hundreds of submissions to the district’s draft dog control bylaw and a final version has been drawn up for consideration by the full council in December.

Councillor Brent Maru said that councillors and staff have listened to the wide range of, at times, conflicting views from the community and have decided as best they could.

“Where we've landed is a compromise that may not be something that everybody celebrates but actually … the community had an absolute opportunity to help drive this and steer this and couldn't, so that's why we're here, to make those decisions.”

The draft bylaw had proven divisive for some communities, pitting “neighbour against neighbour”, because of its new restrictions for dog access to some locations to help protect native wildlife.

Several changes have been made to the initial proposal for the finalised draft.

Little Kaiteriteri received the most attention from submitters. Currently, dogs can be exercised off-leash on the beach except during summer months when they’re only allowed between 5am and 9am.

The initial draft had proposed shifting to allow dogs year-round provided they were on a leash, to try and balance dog owner interests with protecting little penguins/kororā in the area.

The final proposal would be for dogs to be prohibited from the beach during the summer months except between 8am and 11am, while the rest of year would allow dogs off-leash during the day between 9am and 5pm, but banned overnight between 5pm and 9am.

Nearby Dummy and Stephens Bays would have similar rules, with dogs being allowed on the beaches off-leash during the day and banned overnight, with time variations depending on the season.

In Golden Bay, the Motupipi Reserve Beachfront would remain a controlled exercise location rather than shifting to an on-leash area, recognising the area as “very popular” with local dog owners and that there was a “relatively low risk” to wildlife along the beachfront strip when compared to the more “significant” headland.

Additionally, dogs would be allowed on “particularly busy” part of Pōhara Beach in front of the campground in the summer months provided they’re on-leash. Currently, dogs are banned on that section of beach, while the original draft would have only banned dogs in the summer.

Elsewhere in the district, other accommodations for dog owners were made in places like the L.E.H. Baigent Memorial and Hoddy Estuary Reserves where dogs were originally proposed to be banned.

It’s now suggested dogs are banned only from the planted shoreline margins and not from the open grassy areas.

Should the council agree to the range of new rules in December, councillor Jo Ellis urged residents to “take care of each other” once they were enforced from 31 March 2025.

“Treat each other with respect as everybody gets used to some of these changes, but I think we've struck the right balance.”

Increased education and updated signage will be implemented alongside the new rules.

Kim Drummond, the council’s group manager for environmental assurance, said that the community should “take heart” that bird numbers were increasing across the district.

“All these steps that are being taken to mitigate the impact are having that a positive effect. My sense is, where you've landed with the bylaw is going to add to that momentum.”