File ref: IRC-4451
17 March 2023
Mike
[FYI request #21868 email]
Kia ora Mike,
Refinement/Charging Letter
Thank you for your request made under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings
Act 1987 (the Act), received on 17 February 2023. You requested the fol owing information:
1. The total number of dogs currently registered, and per year for the previous 3 years?
2. The number of new registrations of dogs per year for the last 3 years?
3. The number of dog deaths registered per year for the last 3 years?
4. The number of dog ownership changes registered per year for the last 3 years?
5. The median age of registered dog owners based on their DOB provided at registration?
6. List the primary breeds registered and the number of dogs for each of those breeds?
7. List the secondary breeds registered and the number of dogs for each of those breeds?
8. List the number of dogs per year of age?
9. List the dog types registered (e.g. domestic, guide, working) and the number of dogs for
each of those types?
10. List the number of dogs registered in each suburb within WCC jurisdiction?
11. The total number of dogs currently registered as dangerous?
12. The total number of dogs currently registered as menacing?
Please provide the data requested in a CSV file, excel file or similar
I have assessed and discussed your request with Council Officers in the City Consenting &
Compliance Public Health team. I can confirm at this stage the Wellington City Council can partly
grant your request for information, below is more information regarding this.
Whilst members of the dog team can col ate some of the information you have requested above,
some questions are not able to be readily answered by the reports they generate without
substantial collation.
Questions 1,2,9,10,11 & 12
The fol owing questions can be answered using the data generated by the Councils dog team:
The total number of dogs currently registered, and per year for the previous 3 years?
The number of new registrations of dogs per year for the last 3 years?
List the dog types registered (e.g. domestic, guide, working) and the number of dogs for
each of those types?
List the number of dogs registered in each suburb within WCC jurisdiction?
The total number of dogs currently registered as dangerous?
The total number of dogs currently registered as menacing?
However, the data we hold is not detailed enough to answer the fol owing questions below
without either a charge incurred for substantial collation, or a refinement made for the Councils
dog team to provide information held. Please see below a breakdown of these questions.
Please provide the data requested in a CSV file, excel file or similar
In responding to your request for this information to be provided in a CSV file, excel file or similar,
consideration has been made to Section 35 of The Dog Control Act 1996, whereby the territorial
authority shall not disclose information of any specified description, or any other information
recorded in the register unless the requestor is:
•
any constable; or
•
any officer of the Department of Conservation; or
•
any territorial authority; or
•
any society established for the prevention of cruelty to animals or for animal welfare
purposes; or
•
any inspector under the Animal Welfare Act 1999; or
•
any veterinarian; or
•
any inspector under the Biosecurity Act 1993
With this in mind, we are unable to provide you with a full and detailed list as you have requested,
under section 35 of The Dog Control Act 1996.
Refinement – Questions 3 & 6
The number of dog deaths registered per year for the last 3 years?
The data we hold is not detailed enough to confidently provide you with this information without
substantial col ation. Whilst the Council does get notified of the death of a dog, the date on which
we are informed is not always aligned with the date of the dogs passing. To answer this question
Council Officers will need to manually search through three years of data and check the
notification date against the death certificate to confirm this information.
However, if you were to refine your request to information relating to this financial year to date,
2022/23, we would be able to provide this information to hand. Without refining your request, the
Council is refusing your request under section 17(f) of the Act due to substantial manual collation
or research.
List the primary breeds registered and the number of dogs for each of those breeds?
As above, the data we hold is not detailed enough to confidently provide you with this information
without substantial col ation. To confirm this information, Council Officers will need to manually
gather through three years of information, approximately 45,000 records, to confirm.
However, if you were to refine your request to information relating to this financial year, 2022/23,
we would be able to provide the top 10 currently registered breeds. Without refining your
request, the Council is refusing your request under section 17(f) of the Act due to substantial
manual collation or research.
Wellington City Council | 2 of 3
Unable to provide – Question 4
The number of dog ownership changes registered per year for the last 3 years?
We are unable to provide this information as we do not record when dog owners may make
changes to their registration. The changes requested are actioned i.e., change of address, change
of contact details etc, however the data we hold wil not be able to confirm how many changes
have been made.
We are therefore refusing this part of your request under section 17(g) of the Act because the
requested information does not exist.
Potential Charge – Questions 5, 7 & 8
The median age of registered dog owners based on their DOB provided at registration?
List the secondary breeds registered and the number of dogs for each of those breeds?
List the number of dogs per year of age?
The data we hold in respect to the questions above, is not detailed enough to provide the answer
first hand. Council Officers have investigated and to provide the information above, they would
need to manually collate through three years of information, approximately 45,000 records, to
confirm.
Officers have confirmed it would take approximately 56 hours to gather and calculate the
information you have requested, on top of their day-to-day roles.
Given the amount of resource required to process your request, we have decided to charge for
making part of the requested information available. We estimate that the maximum charge will be
$4,218.00 with the first hour being free of charge and $38 (inc. GST) per half an hour taken. Our
guidelines are based on Ministry of Justic
e guidance.
Before we proceed further with your request, please confirm:
• your agreement to refine questions 3 & 6
• your agreement to the charge with respect to questions 5,7 and 8
Please let me know if you would like to refine or charge for your request as soon as possible, so
that I am able to provide you with the Council’s final decision by 24 March 2023.
Any questions please let me know,
Kind regards
Ollie Marchant
Assurance Advisor
Wellington City Council | 3 of 3
