Rule changes target sandwich boards and cats

While it took three hours for Nelson City Council to discuss its Māori ward on Thursday, several other important matters slid by with far less discussion.

New rules for sandwich boards were unanimously adopted by elected members after about 15 minutes of discussion.

The advertising signs now must be placed on the edge of the kerb rather than against the storefront as is currently required.

The council had consulted on banning the boards completely.

The change is meant to make it easier for blind and low-vision residents to navigate on the footpath, while not impacting business owners who rely on the signs to attract customers. However, the definition of sandwich boards has been narrowed to only include rigid signs, so other forms of advertising like flags or banners are now prohibited.

Councillor Campbell Rollo said the council was trying to create an accessible city.

“I think the solution we’ve come to is acceptable for everyone, but at the end of the day, it comes down to how you police the rules.”

Mayor Nick Smith said he was pleased the council wasn’t banning the boards, saying that the signs were an “important advertising tool” for businesses.

However, he expressed “discomfort” that the council is exempted from the rules, which would allow it to continue to display its flags despite banning others from doing the same.

“I am not one of those that likes it when we say this rule applies to everybody else but not to us.”

Councillor Aaron Stallard supported the bylaw change, but said that moving the signs to the other side of the footpath was “highly problematic” and potentially only shifted their inconvenience from blind and low-vision residents to people exiting their cars.

He would rather see the boards banned or restricted to specific zones.

A ban on people occupying the footpath for more than two hours has also been altered after concerns about how it might impact rough sleepers. The new rule prohibits occupying the footpath in a way that unreasonably prevents or detrimentally impacts people’s use of the footpath.

And a new cat management bylaw opened for consultation on Monday after just 10 minutes spent discussing the topic in the council chamber.

The bylaw would require the mandatory microchipping, registering, and desexing of all cats over six months.

Early feedback from 1100 respondents showed that all options had support from at least 84 per cent of people, with desexing having the support of 91 per cent.

This approach would align with Tasman’s bylaw, which is awaiting hearing, and reinforce pest management efforts with control of feral cats recently being expanded across the region.

Councillor Matthew Benge said the measures would be uncontroversial as most cat owners were abiding by the proposed rules.

“In some ways the public have beaten us to it, they’re already doing it.”

He added that it was “no question” that cats were a danger to native wildlife and that the rules, which would enable greater control of feral cats, made sense, given the amount of money spent on trapping other pests and would limit the spread of toxoplasmosis.

His comments were echoed by councillor Rachel Sanson who said the bylaw would be a “game changer” for biodiversity.

Deputy mayor Rohan O’Neill-Stevens agreed, saying the bylaw would give council “the tools to manage beloved pets which then gives us the tools to manage less-beloved pests.”