20 December 2022
Rod Badcock
[FYI request #21128 email]
Tēnā koe Rod
Request for Information – Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act
(LGOIMA) 1987
We refer to your official information request dated 15 November 2022, as follows:
1.
When was the GIS map released that shows this incorrect designation of off-
leash dog exercise on sealed paths?
2.
How many requests, and when, have HCC had about the status of off-leash
dog exercise areas in sealed path locations of the Hutt River?
3.
Why are the off-leash dog walking exclusion areas not clearly identified as per
2015 Bylaw?
4.
When will clear and complete signage be placed to make clear the off-leash
exclusion areas?
5.
What advice (and when) has HCC given to members of the public, or official
responses, about status of off-leash dog exercise areas and the sealed paths on the
Hutt River?
6.
What incidents with off-leash dogs, and how many, are HCC aware of on
sealed paths on the Hutt River?
7.
Will HCC enact the 2015 bylaw and remove all shared cycling / walking paths
as being off-leash dog exercise areas on safety grounds?
Your questions are answered below:
When was the GIS map released that shows this incorrect designation of off-leash dog
exercise on sealed paths?
When the GIS map was released, the only sealed paths were those on the stop banks from
Reynolds Bach Drive to Port Road.
Further, when the Dog Exercise Areas were first defined in 2015 there were only 3 categories
available, these being (a) dog exercise areas, (b) dog prohibition areas and (c) dog exercise
and prohibition areas.
Cycle paths and walkways were shown for interest but there were no specific conditions
attached to them.
In 2017, a designated on-leash walking path was added specifically for Avalon Park, shown
below:
How many requests, and when, has the Council had about the status of off-leash dog
exercise areas in sealed path locations of the Hutt River?
With the exception of your correspondence, Hutt City Council has not received any official
information requests about this matter in the past 12 months.
We are unable to answer your question for queries of an informal nature, as these are not
recorded.
Why are the off-leash dog-walking exclusion areas not clearly identified as per the 2015
bylaw?
The off-leash dog-walking exclusion areas are identified in the Dog Control Bylaw 2015 and
also on the Council’s website.
When will clear and complete signage be placed to make clear the off-leash exclusion
areas?
There are clear signs on the sealed pathway above the riverbank that advise that dogs must
be on a leash. All other paths/areas were identified by the Dog Control Bylaw 2015 as dog
exercise areas and adequate signage will be placed along the new sealed footpaths on the
flood plain dog exercise areas, as shown below:
What advice (and when) has HCC given to members of the public, or official responses,
about status of off-leash dog exercise areas and the sealed paths on the Hutt River?
The current advice is published on the Hutt City Council website at:
https://www.huttcity.govt.nz/services/dogs/dog-exercise-areas. No official information requests have been received on this matter in the past 12 months.
What incidents with off-leash dogs, and how many, is HCC aware of on sealed paths on
the Hutt River?
Hutt City Council does not record these incidents.
Will HCC enact the 2015 bylaw and remove all shared cycling / walking paths as being
off-leash dog exercise areas on safety grounds?
The Council will review the Dog Control Bylaw 2015 in 2025.
You can seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this response. Information
about how to make a complaint is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or freephone
0800 802 602. Please also note that this letter may be published on the Council’s website.
Nāku noa, nā
Susan Sales
Senior Advisor, Official Information and Privacy
