DOG owner David La Varis wants to change the Waitomo District Council’s dog control bylaw, the part that makes Rora St a dog-free zone. Having his dog accompany him into town for a coffee has seen him fined in the past for breaching the downtown dog ban, which has been part of the dog control bylaw since 2004, and has been kept with every renewal. The Waitomo District Dog Control Bylaw 2015 is next due for review in December 2024, the council’s strategy and environment manager Alex Bell said. This would be the opportunity for a submitter to request changes to the prohibited areas. He said dogs would have been prohibited from the CBD for safety and nuisance reasons; the interface of cars, people, shoppers etc. David disagreed, saying the law is draconian, and unevenly enforced. He ignored it, and after being warned, he received two fines following a complaint made about him taking his dog in town without a lead. He received a $300 fine for the dog not being on a lead and another $300 for being in Rora St. That was all pre-Covid, he said. “If you had a red jacket on mate they wouldn’t be talking to you like that. It’s bloody racist,” he said. “I told that animal control [officer] ‘Why are you chasing La Varis and his poor dog? why aren’t you chasing those killer dogs?” He vented to other dog owners, who supported him, and he wants some feedback on it from animal owners and business owners. “I don’t want to be seen as David La Varis pushing his own canoe, I want to get feedback on what citizens think. “In Auckland, Wellington, Taupō, dogs are allowed to sit down with you and I at the coffee table. “I understand why it was brought in, but it’s third-world. “Dogs are part of the family.” David has approached police and the council to find if there are records of dog incidents in town that may have prompted the dog red zone in the first place. “I accept the rule is there for a reason, so animal officers have a stick to use if dogs are intimidating – but to give the animal officer control, the discretion if dogs are on a lead or under control. “If a dog is on a lead, no threatening behaviour, you don’t have to act on this one. If a dog is being used to intimidate, then he gets barred from town.” Bringing the renewal of the bylaw forward would require substantial public demand, mayor John Robertson said. “If there was considerable concern in the community to have a change, council can have a look at that. But there would need to be a real reason for doing it, so substantial support from the community for a change,” he said. Changing a bylaw was a costly process requiring public consultation, he said. “I’ve encouraged [David La Varis] to talk to the three urban councillors (Janene New, Eady Manawaiti, Dan Tasker) to assess their views on it,” John said. “This is about Te Kūiti and the residents of Te Kūiti and the wishes they have,” John said. “That’s the approach I would take – listen to the concerns of the local people before making a change for those that might visit us occasionally.” About half the 58,000 family groups that are members of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association have dogs on board, said CEO Bruce Lochore. council to find if there are records of dog incidents in town that may have prompted the dog red zone in the first place. “I accept the rule is there for a reason, so animal officers have a stick to use if dogs are intimidating – but to give the animal officer control, the discretion if dogs are on a lead or under control. “If a dog is on a lead, no threatening behaviour, you don’t have to act on this one. If a dog is being used to intimidate, then he gets barred from town.” Bringing the renewal of the bylaw forward would require substantial public demand, Waitomo mayor John Robertson said. “If there was considerable concern in the community to have a change, council can have a look at that. “But there would need to be a real reason for doing it, so substantial support from the community for a change,” he said. Changing a bylaw was a costly process requiring public consultation, he said. “I’ve encouraged [David La Varis] to talk to the three urban councillors (Janene New, Eady Manawaiti, Dan Tasker) to assess their views on it,” John said. “This is about Te Kūiti and the residents of Te Kūiti and the wishes they have,” John said. “That’s the approach I would take – listen to the concerns of the local people before making a change for those that might visit us occasionally.” Te Kūiti is marketing itself as a motorhome friendly town, but any motorhomers with a small dog will give the town a wide berth. About half the 58,000 family groups that are members of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association have dogs on board, said CEO Bruce Lochore. Members of the travelling public just keep driving on when they encounter towns with rules they don’t like, motorhome owner Warren Walker said. Warren and his wife Barb spend months on the roads of both islands. “So far as being a member of the travelling public and a member of the NZMCA, when I see it’s a motorhome friendly town, I question that. “We travel with a dog and it does put you right off when you go there and you can’t – there’s just no dogs [allowed].” The members of the NZMCA were known to be pretty good with their dogs, Warren said. “They keep them on a leash, picked up after them. And the NZMCA has its own rules about members’ dogs behaviour. If members broke a local bylaw they were liable for censureship by the NZMCA. “I wouldn’t stop [in the main street] if it was going to be an issue with our dog being on board,” he said. They don’t got to Milford Sound for the same reason. “No dogs are allowed in there, so you don’t travel in there. I understand that dogs can wreak havoc, but so can people.” In Te Kūiti the dog would have to stay in the vehicle – but as with all places in New Zealand, that’s subject to a $300 instant fine.
