Keeping of Animals Bylaw 2025

This consultation has now closed.

What happened with the bylaw?

At its meeting on 15 May 2025, elected members agreed to recommend Council adopt the proposed Keeping of Animals Bylaw. The bylaw was adopted on 26 June 2025 with a commencement date of 1 July 2025. In summary, the new bylaw contains the following:

• Cats are now included in the bylaw. Owners of cats must desex, microchip and register their cats with the NZ Companion Animals Register (a non-Council owned register). Note Council does not benefit from the costs of registering cats.
• New limits for certain animals, particularly in suburban areas.
  1. A limit of 4 beehives in all areas without permission for more in Porirua, except rural areas.
  2. A limit of 10 chickens without a permit in suburban areas only.
  3. A default ban on stock animals in suburban areas unless there is a permit.
  4. Enforcement of the new limits will be at officers' discretion.
• A permit system for those who want to keep animals outside the new rules. This permit system will not cost owners anything.
• A new requirement to ensure animals are not killed in a manner that causes nuisance
• New definitions of nuisance and definitions for various animal types
• New enforcement provisions – officers may issue a notice to abate if it’s believed the bylaw is being breached. Officers will still be required to investigate complaints and gather evidence before making a call.

We are proposing to update the existing regulations for keeping domestic animals in the Porirua district.

Our evidence shows the existing bylaw is not working to prevent and manage nuisance. We’re aiming to better prevent nuisance by introducing clear animal-keeping requirements, setting clear limits on numbers of animals in city centre and suburban areas, and improving the ability of Council officers to take enforcement action in a timely manner.

In this consultation, we want your views on the proposed bylaw and options – whether to keep the status quo or existing provisions or adopt some or all of the recommended options.

Purpose of the bylaw

Domestic animals provide a source of comfort and companionship for a large part of Porirua's population. However, they can also cause nuisance to neighbours if they are not effectively kept in check, particularly in residential areas and as the city grows. The rules in the bylaw typically come into play when there are complaints, and the Council must step in to resolve disputes and take steps towards remedial action. The rules in the draft bylaw aim to set out clear guidelines for people keeping animals on their properties in a way that minimises their animals’ impact on others.

There are several new focus areas to have your say on:

• general obligations (retaining current nuisance provisions and the requirement to keep animals confined, but expanding to include property damage and disposing of animals)
• cats (including cats in the proposed bylaw, and introducing proposed new rules about microchipping, desexing and registration)
• bees (removing the current provisions, introducing limits based on section size in city centre, suburban and industrial areas, including a ban on beehives on properties under 500 metres square; water source provisions, and ensuring flight paths don’t create nuisance).
• poultry (retaining the ban on crowing animals in city and suburban areas, but introducing a proposed limit of six poultry in suburban areas).

Any new limits would have a delayed introduction date if passed.

What else is proposed?

• an expanded range of stock and poultry types covered under the bylaw
• a ban on stock in suburban areas
• greater enforcement provisions for Council officers
• technical changes, such as updating Proposed District Plan references and clarifying the relationship of the bylaw to the Resource Management Act 1991.

Making a submission – submissions close 10 February 2025

You can find copies of this proposal at all Porirua City libraries, and at our front counter at Customer Services, Porirua City Council, 16 Cobham Court, Porirua 5022.

You can have your say in a number of ways:

• make an online submission at the bottom of this webpage. You can also download a submission form from the right-hand-side menu, under consultation documents.
• by email to: submissions@poriruacity.govt.nz with “Keeping of Animals Bylaw 2025” in the subject line.
• by hand at:
  • front counter, 16 Cobham Court, Porirua City
  • any of our libraries
• by post:
  Freepost 4517
  Keeping of Animals Bylaw 2025
  Porirua City Council
  PO Box 50218
  Porirua City 5240

Your submission is subject to meeting the moderation criteria – you can find out more here.

Your privacy
All submissions are public information. This supports our drive to be as transparent as possible, but if there are any personal details you don’t want made public, please let us know.

We collect demographic data to help us identify if we are reaching the voices from all areas of our community. Providing demographic information is optional.

Want to know more?

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please email us at submissions@poriruacity.govt.nz or call on (04) 237 5089.