Dog laws reviewed 

Waipā’s Dog Control Bylaw and Dog Control policy are to be reviewed and updated to reflect issues with dogs in several reserves.

Mount Kakepuku, Karāpiro’s Mighty River Domain, Lake Te Koo Utu, Memorial Park and Kihikihi Domain are among the places where dog control is patchy.

Strategic Projects driver Graham Pollard said the Iwi Consultative and Strategic Planning and Policy committees have previously passed resolutions aimed at prohibiting dogs from Kakepuku. Dogs on leads are permitted on Waipā tracks but not on the top of the mountain where there is a sacred area.

Dog owners continue to ignore rules prohibiting dogs from the Karāpiro domain while developments at Lake Te Koo Utu in Cambridge and Memorial Park in Te Awamutu and future changes to green spaces and public areas mean the district’s dog control regulations need reviewing, he said.

“Reviewing this bylaw now will ensure Council can hastily respond to these current dog control area issues in the district. It will also update the documents to apply best practice dog control to future district expansion.”

Council is under pressure to review the bylaw now rather than wait until 2025.

That would mean the current dog control issues putting pressure on the council could not be reviewed for three years.

The Strategic Planning and Policy committee agreed with Pollard and told staff to begin community engagement later this month.

Cambridge has 12 dog exercise areas, Te Awamutu 13, Pirongia six and there is one in Maungatautari.

More Recent News

On the Waipa Radar – here is the news in secret

12 September 2025 Waipa District Council has provided The News with On the Radar editions numbers 13, 14, and 15 See: Council response       22 August 2025 After we had to request them…

Consultants cash clash

12 September 2025 Updated to include responses from Clyde Graf and Stuart Kneebone. 10 September 2025 A disagreement over the definition of “consultants” versus “consultancy services” has put a team of Waikato Regional Council candidates…

Wanted: a new roof

Cambridge Community House, struggling to meet increasing demand for its services, must replace the roof on one of its older buildings. The timing isn’t great, but it must be done and preferably by the end…

Backing the great outdoors

Two Waipā school leaders are urging people to make their voices heard on a Government plan to remover outdoor education from the senior subject list. The proposal abolishes NCEA and replaces it with a Foundational…