Meanwhile, ACC claims from dog attacks in the Bay of Plenty have jumped in the past five years.
The number of new dog bite claims in the Bay increased from 897 in 2010/11 to 1068 in 2014/15 - a rise of 19.6 per cent.
However, the ACC figures were not reflected in complaints made to local authorities.
Tauranga City Council animals and enforcement team leader Brent Lincoln said reported attacks remained relatively steady.
"We had a bit of a blip in 2012/13 but usually we sit at 70 or below a year," he said.
Mr Lincoln said the rise of the ACC claims by comparison was "a significant difference".
"Basically what happens is a lot of attacks that get reported to ACC is people's own dogs attacking family members so they don't report it.
"We often hear of a family member concerned about a dog who gives us a call and we will follow that up, as opposed to the victim themselves contacting us. That probably happens about four to five times a year."
Mr Lincoln said it was the owner's responsibility to ensure their dog was controlled.
"Every dog owner needs to be aware that they are responsible for the actions of their dog at all times, whether in the home, walking their dog down the street or exercising it on the beach," he said. "No matter how good people think their dog is with children, young children and dogs should never be left unsupervised."
Jo Clough from Pet First Aid and Training has just hired three staff to visit Tauranga schools to teach children how to behave around dogs after noticing the increase in dog attacks.
Ms Clough said they were in they were in the process of also recruiting six new trainers for other areas including Rotorua and Hastings.
Nationally, more than 2500 charges were made under the Dog Control Act in the past five years.
Just over 350 dog destruction orders were granted in that time.
A study published in August found 99,000 dog bites had been recorded nationally in the decade to 2014 - with more than 5800 requiring hospital treatment.
Incident rates increased from 10.5 attacks per 100,000 people to 14.3 over the 10-year period.
New Zealand Association of Plastic Surgeons president Dr Sally Langley said the medical and psychosocial impact on dog bite victims was "life-changing" and tougher dog-control laws were needed.
Labour's local government spokesman Su'a William Sio said current laws were failing to protect New Zealanders.
But associate local government minister Louise Upston said an assessment of the country's dog-control laws by the Department of Internal Affairs last year found no need for change.
"The conclusions were that New Zealand is not markedly out of step with other similar countries and further changes to dog-control regulations would not necessarily better protect people from harm," she said.
In October, a 6-year-old boy sustained life-threatening injuries after he was viciously attacked by a relative's dog in Paengaroa.
The attack prompted medical experts, victim advocates and politicians to call for tougher laws - but the Government said the current legislation was enough.
Less than a fortnight after the attack, a 13-year-old Otumoetai boy was bitten in the leg by a dog at Maketu skate park. He required two stitches.
Henry Pokai, whose son Charlie was attacked by a dog two years ago, said dogs were a loaded gun that could go off at anytime.
Mr Pokai said ACC did not traditionally prosecute so it was obvious many bites would not be reported to local authorities because owners would not want to potentially lose their pet.
"You need to register the person, make them responsibile for the dog. It's about people, not the dogs."
