What rules would you like for keeping bees, pigs or roosters?

Waikato District Council wants your feedback on animal nuisance issues to help shape its new Keeping of Animals Bylaw. 

The Keeping of Animals Bylaw includes rules to reduce or prevent animal nuisance and specifies areas where certain animals can be kept, such as bees, pigs, chickens, and roosters. 

“We know how much the Waikato district community loves and cares for their animals,” says Customer Support General Manager, Roger MacCulloch. “Animals play a vital role in various businesses and provide the community with the opportunity to produce their own food. But sometimes animals can be a nuisance. Roosters and chickens can be loud, pigs can be smelly and bee hives can cause issues for those living around them. The noise and smell can become an issue for neighbours in urban areas, especially where properties are close together. Animals can also wander, and this can create safety issues for drivers and cause harm to other people and/or their property.”

“We want you to tell us your thoughts, so we can keep them in mind when we draft our Keeping of Animals Bylaw proposal,” says Roger.

It’s important to note that this bylaw does not apply to dogs. Rules for dogs are included in Council’s Dog Control Bylaw and Dog Control Policy.

Council staff have taken a close look at animal nuisance complaints over the past few years, to help them understand the frequency and type of animal complaints received. During this time, Council has received 363 complaints relating to animals (excluding dogs). Roosters top the list as the animal that received the highest number of complaints, followed by chickens. The most common complaint for all animals is about noise. 

If you would like to provide feedback, you will have until 31 March 2024 to complete the online survey. Feedback will then be analysed and used to shape the next iteration of the bylaw.

Formal consultation on the proposal and bylaw will be held later in the year. 

waikatodistrict.govt.nz/say-it