Far North dog advocates are due to meet council staff today to discuss a new version of a controversial dog bylaw.
An earlier version of the Far North District Council bylaw sparked howls of protest - especially in Russell - when dog owners discovered it proposed banning all off-leash exercise on Russell beaches and mooted a one or two dog per household limit along much of the east coast.
A group called Bay of Islands WatchDogs was set up to fight the new bylaw, rallies were held, and a community board meeting drew a record 120 members of the public.
Dog lovers were incensed because the initial version of the new bylaw, which went out for consultation late last year, proposed relaxing many of the district's dog rules, particularly around beach access outside the busy summer months. The second version, however, proposed reducing beach access.
The council said this was due to concerns raised by iwi and the Department of Conservation around pollution of shellfish beds and threats to shorebirds.