Animal management
Yes. Far North District Council has partnered with SPCA to provide desexing and microchipping vouchers to eligible dog owners. If a voucher is approved, the Animal Management Team arranges an appointment with a participating veterinary clinic. Vouchers can be used at Top Vets in Kaitāia or Bay of Islands Vets in Kaikohe. To find out more about eligibility, contact the council’s Animal Management Team on 0800 920 029.
Further details in this news story: New SPCA partnership supports responsible pet ownership
Yes, dogs must be registered to be eligible for a free desexing and microchipping voucher through the SPCA partnership.
If your dog’s registration is not up to date, the Animal Management Team will work with you to bring the registration up to date so you can access the offer.
Dog registration is a legal requirement. Dogs must be registered from three months of age, or as soon as they come into your possession.
The partnership was established to help reduce the number of unwanted dogs and puppies entering local shelters and to support responsible dog ownership. Community feedback from an Animal Management Survey identified backyard breeding as a key contributor to large numbers of dogs and puppies being dumped.
The council’s role is to manage the voucher process and arrange appointments with participating veterinary clinics. The SPCA is the council’s partner in the initiative.
You need to tell FNDC that your dog has been microchipped so the council can update its records. Most dogs must be microchipped, with an exception for dogs classified as working dogs. Dogs that are impounded must be microchipped before they are released, including working dogs.
Microchipping and registration are separate requirements. A microchip provides a permanent identification number for your dog, while registration must be renewed with the council each year.
FNDC provides a microchipping service by appointment.
Read further important information for dog owners
Dog registration fees help fund FNDC’s Animal Management work. This includes responding to reports of stray, barking and aggressive dogs, reuniting lost dogs with their owners, and taking action when dogs are uncontrolled.
Registration fees also help support the council’s Adopt-a-dog programme, which helps dogs in the council’s care to find new homes.
More details in this news story: Paw-sitively the best time to register your dog
Doggone is an optional service that helps reunite lost dogs with their owners. Owners can opt in for free when registering their dog and receive a durable tag with a unique number. If someone finds the dog, they can text the tag number to 4133. The finder then receives a secure link to contact the owner.
Owners can use the Doggone app to control the information shared with a person who finds their dog, including contact details and information about the dog.
It does not replace dog registration – your dog still needs to be registered with FNDC each year. The service is free for owners registering their dog and who opt in.
More details: Dog reg campaign adds free Doggone service this year
FNDC has introduced new sustainable dog registration tags that do not have an expiry date, reducing the need for annual tag replacement. You still need to renew your dog's registration every year, but the physical tag can stay with your dog.
The tag also provides access to the Doggone text reunite service if you have opted in. If your dog goes missing and someone finds it, they can text the registration number on the tag to 4133 to start the reunification process.
FNDC’s Animal Management Team deals with issues including roaming, uncontrolled, barking and aggressive dogs.
If a dog is causing harm or creating a nuisance, residents can contact FNDC on 0800 920 029. Non-urgent dog-related requests and enquiries can also be lodged online.
The council’s Dogs and Cats webpage provides information about responsible dog ownership, registration, microchipping, dog complaints and areas where dogs can be walked.
Posting about a roaming or aggressive dog on social media does not create a formal complaint with FNDC. If you want FNDC to know about a dog problem and take action, you need to report it directly to the council. This will create an RFS number that allows you and staff to keep track of your report.
The council’s Ahipara review found that some people were using social media to report incidents because they found it easier than using the council reporting process. The report also noted that this can create the mistaken impression that a social media post is the same as reporting an incident to Animal Management team.
If someone is in immediate danger from an aggressive or attacking dog, call emergency services on 111. For non-urgent reports of dog attacks, aggressive behaviour, roaming, barking or other nuisance behaviour, contact FNDC on 0800 920 029.
The council has completed its statutory review of the Dog Management Bylaw 2018 and Dog Management Policy 2018.
It was decided that a dog bylaw is still the most appropriate way to deal with dog-related problems in the Far North and should continue with some amendments. The same decision was made about the current Dog Management Policy.
This does not mean that a new set of dog rules is already in place. The council’s decision was to continue the bylaw and policy with amendments. Further changes are to be developed through community engagement and the normal decision-making process.
The review is important because the rules cover issues such as uncontrolled dogs, roaming, nuisance behaviour and public safety.
FNDC’s Animal Management Team can take enforcement action when dogs are not properly controlled, but there are practical and legal limits on what officers can do.
The council’s Ahipara review identified several factors that make dog control difficult across the district. These include the size of the Far North, long travel times, limited staffing, inadequate fencing or containment, and difficulties gathering enough evidence for prosecution.
The council has 10 Animal Management Officers (AMOs) split between two teams to cover a district of more than 7000 square kilometres. The North Team, which covers Ahipara and the wider Te Hiku area, has five Animal Management Officers and a team leader.
The report also noted that a dog attack can require two or more officers to attend for safety reasons, reducing the number of officers available to deal with other incidents.
Concerns about roaming and aggressive dogs in Ahipara led to a petition with 428 signatures being presented to the council in March 2026.
Council staff met with the petition sponsor to get suggestions about working with the community to support the management of roaming dogs.
The report says Animal Management Officers had increased patrols in Ahipara, with about two patrols a day being carried out at the time of the review. It also says the community had noticed fewer incidents during the month following increased patrols.
The council has also developed a dog-safety education programme for schools, delivered by Animal Management Officers.
The Ahipara report recommended a hybrid approach involving additional Animal Management staffing, a dedicated education and community liaison role, improved reporting channels and a stronger social media presence.
FNDC’s Animal Management team has a target of acknowledging and contacting the person who reports an urgent request for service within 1.5 hours.
Urgent requests are incidents that have the potential to cause significant community harm, including dog attacks, rushing incidents and straying dogs. The aim is to contact and acknowledge the report within 1.5 hours and to arrange a time to meet with the complainant. It does not mean an Animal Management Officer will arrive at the location within 1.5 hours.
No, the voucher covers desexing and microchipping. It does not cover the cost of vaccinations.
The programme is led by SPCA, with FNDC providing funding assistance. SPCA administers the voucher system in conjunction with participating veterinary services.
Questions about the specific veterinary treatment included in a voucher should be directed to SPCA or the participating vet clinic.
An owner seeking a voucher needs to register the dog for the current year in which the voucher is obtained. The owners do not have to pay the previous years of registration to access desexing voucher. Once the dog is desexed, the owner is eligible for a free registration in the following financial year and lower registration rates in subsequent years.
Registration is still a legal requirement. Dogs must be registered from three months of age, or as soon as they come into the owner’s possession.