Department of Conservation biodiversity ranger Jamie Quirk, making a submission in a private capacity, told the panel he was speaking “on behalf of” the wildlife of the country.
Mr Quirk said penguins at Kaiti Beach had been killed by dogs. There were also fur seal pups who came ashore to rest.
“They deserved to rest because that’s what they’ve been doing for thousands of years.”
A Massey University autopsy of a deceased Kaiti Beach penguin showed puncture wounds in the skull which were the size of a 50-cent piece.
The wounds came from the teeth of a large and registered dog whose owner could not be contacted.
Mr Quirk said the Gisborne district had 250 kilometres of coastline.
The proposed prohibition of dogs at Kaiti Beach gave wildlife less than two kilometres where “they can safely come ashore and do what they need to do — behave like normal animals”.
Former district councillor Craig Bauld was one of several submitters who said the bylaws would only affect responsible dog owners. He knew of no documented killing of a Kaiti Beach penguin by a registered dog under the control of its owner. Such dog attacks came from stray dogs or owners who took no notice of bylaws.
Mr Bauld “strongly” supported the neutering of dogs after they had been found not under the control of their owner twice (down from the current three) within 12 months. But he actually thought the draft policy was too soft. The period of time should not be over 12 months but should be up to five years.
Eight changes proposed to Dog Control policy, bylaw
Lois Eastern said any regulations needed to be fair and enforceable but not excessively punitive.
She referred to her experiences walking her dogs in Auckland and suggested a “segregated” system where over summer dogs could be off-leash between 5pm and 10am and no dog be allowed on the beach outside those hours.
Over winter, off-leash dogs were allowed on the beach at all times.
The council proposal punished the majority of dog owners who were responsible dog owners, she said.
Anne Pardoe said Kaiti Beach was a safe dog-walking area on the Kaiti side of town.
There were few such areas. Concrete blocks put in by the port company had prevented penguins from getting to the rocks to nest.
Ms Pardoe said she supported the proposal allowing off-leash in the part of Waiteata Park north of the stream.
Terrence and Jean Lomis said they preferred dogs being prohibited in the area between Gisborne Yacht Club and the port, rather than all of Kaiti Beach.
Jennie Harre-Hindmarsh said she was harassed viciously by off-leash dogs at Kaiti Beach not under the voice control of their owner. It was an escalating occurrence over the past year.
However, she was reluctant for dogs to have to be on a leash at all times. Dogs under control should be allowed to enjoy the beach with their owners.
Ms Harre-Hindmarsh suggested an amendment that dogs be on a leash on beaches adjacent to residential settlements, including Kaiti Beach unless dog owners demonstrated they had voice control during the licensing process, or underwent a free or affordable training programme.
The eight proposed changes to the Dog Control Policy and Bylaw 2010 are —
■ Dogs be on a leash in public places unless specified otherwise in the policy.
■ Dogs be prohibited from Kaiti Beach.
■ Allowing dogs on-leash in some neighbourhood reserves where dogs are currently prohibited.
■ Allowing dogs to be off-leash in the part of Waiteata Park north of the stream.
■ Dogs be prohibited from sports grounds (limited to the central sports fields at Waikirikiri and Nelson Park, surrounding areas remain on-leash) to protect children from dog faeces.
■ Removing time-of-day and holiday restrictions on beaches.
■ Increasing the number of dogs that can be kept on premises without a permit.
■ Reducing the number of times a dog can be found not under control before council may require it to be neutered — from three incidents to two within a 12-month period.
Recommendations from the panel consisting of chairman Tony Robinson, Debbie Gregory and Nick Tupara will be considered by the council.
That may happen in June but the date is yet to be confirmed.
