Dog owners in our district are receiving a $37 increase in dog registration fees for the 2024/25 year. Matamata-Piako is home to roughly 5,500 registered dogs. While dog registration numbers have remained relatively the same over the past five years, the costs associated have increased significantly - particularly overheads and legal, salaries, vet and sustenance costs.

In order to cover some of these costs, the full fee has increased by approximately 30% from $120 to $157. This reflects both Council’s desire to move more to user pays, and the significant increase in costs for this activity. The registration fee is made up of a base fee and rebates are used to reward responsible dog owners. Those who currently receive all three of the responsible owner rebates will see an increase from $40 to $77. While there have been a couple of slight increases, this is the first substantial fee increase in over 10 years.

Dog registration fees help us ensure all dogs are registered, respond to reports of dog attacks and complaints about barking and stray animals, provide impoundment and shelter services, care for strays and reunite dogs with their owners. It enables us to provide dog safety education for dog owners, carry out street patrols and property inspections, enforce compliance, prosecute serious dog related offences and provide off-leash dog exercise areas with dog poo bin and water fountain maintenance.

Our animal control team have a busy and varied role with their work captured annually in our Dog Control Policy and Practices Report. In 2022/23 we received 685 complaints including 25 reports of a dog biting a person, 183 for barking dogs and 350 reports of wandering dogs. Our animal control officers impounded 130 dogs, recorded over 1,000 street patrols, issued 155 complaint notices and 145 infringement notices.

We have two full time animal control officers, an admin support to take care of calls and reporting requirements and a pound keeper to care for any dogs impounded during weekends and public holidays. In order to provide a 24/7 service, we provide an after-hours call service and contract Allied Security to take care of on-site responses from 5pm-8am Monday-Friday, weekends and public holidays.

In 2022/23 we received $333,621 from registrations, fines and fees however the actual cost of running animal control was $490,540. From 1 July, 85% of the Animal Control service (including dog registration) will be funded by user charges. This is a move from 80% in previous years - the rest is covered by rates.

Dog registration is a legal requirement by central government under the Dog Control Act 1996. All dogs need to be registered by the time they are three months old and every year by 31 July. If your dog’s tag isn’t ‘blue’ your dog is not yet registered for the 2024/25 year. There is a 50% penalty on top of the normal registration fee for late payment. If caught with an unregistered dog, you could be issued with a $300 infringement, plus registration fees.

Register your dog at your local Council office today or online at mpdc.nz/dogregistration. The last day for payment without penalties is 31 July 2024.

You can read the full 2022/23 Dog Control Policy and Practices Report here. The 2023/24 report will be published in October after it is adopted by Council.

You can read the Annual Plan, including the section on Animal Control, here.

See our off-leash dog areas across the district here.