We'd like to hear your thoughts on how we can keep the community safe when using public spaces.

We are consulting on two bylaws and one policy at the same time as part of a collective review.

You may choose to give feedback on one, two or all of the items.

Public Places Bylaw

This bylaw is aimed at helping everyone share Council’s spaces fairly and peacefully. The community use our spaces for a wide range of reasons, and some of those reasons can cause problems for other users if not managed properly.

The bylaw has two primary uses:

• setting clear expectations around behaviour in public places
• setting a basis for issuing permits to use public land in ways that may cause a danger or be a nuisance to other users if not managed carefully (eg busking, events, vehicle crossings and road corridor access).

What our research is telling us

Our early research has shown most of the bylaw is generally working as intended but needs tweaking to be appropriate for managing public places. However, we have received some feedback showing some parts are redundant or no longer needed (mainly the skateboarding ban areas and the noise provisions). Other parts need tweaking to reflect legislative changes.

We are taking this opportunity to explore the potential to ban the feeding of animals on (non-reserve) public land, as it was raised during the Keeping of Animals deliberations in 2025. Our early evidence indicates we do not have any complaint evidence to support the inclusion of a ban on feeding animals on public land. We receive a handful of complaints about feeding a year, and these generally take place on private land (which falls within the Keeping of Animals Bylaw 2025). We are open to feedback to see whether this is something we should include in the bylaw.

Signs Bylaw

The Signs Bylaw will lapse in mid-2027 and we will need to consider whether we still need it before then. In addition, our review of this bylaw coincides with the District Plan becoming operative. We want to update the bylaw to ensure it remains fit for use as there are provisions that overlap with the District Plan.

What our research is telling us

Early feedback from elected members and officers who use the bylaw has indicated a bylaw is still the most appropriate way to manage temporary signs in public places, although it needs tweaking to be its best.

We have investigated getting rid of the bylaw altogether and using the District Plan. We believe a bylaw is still the most appropriate place to manage portable signs, sign content and approved sites. This is because portable signs and sign content are outside the range of what the District Plan regulates. The District Plan is too inflexible to manage approved sites as approved sites change frequently but the District Plan is very hard to change in response. It also has some provisions that are impractical for site users. Where practical we will update the bylaw to be consistent with the District Plan for legal consistency.

Smokefree Outdoor Public Places Policy

This policy sets out where people cannot smoke or vape in outdoor public places. It supplements the list of prohibited indoor smoking areas set out under the Smokefree Environments and Regulated Products Act 1990. The policy is included in the current Public Places Bylaw by reference but is not enforced.

Under the current policy, smoking and vaping is not allowed in the city centre/Cobham Court, in bus shelters or stops, Council-owned carparks and a range of recreational areas (eg playgrounds).

We are looking at the Smokefree Outdoor Public Places Policy as it has not been reviewed since 2020 and since then New Zealand has not reached its Smokefree 2025 goal.

What our research is telling us

Our early research has shown there may be a need to keep our existing policy. We have a slightly higher rate of smoking than other cities nationwide, and there has been a legislative/central government shift towards looser regulation around smoking and vaping.

However, we believe it is best to remove it from the bylaw. A bylaw is good for explicitly prohibiting certain acts but is not the best place to set out a full policy position or approach to managing smoking harm in our communities.

With recent interest in amalgamation, we are considering whether there is a need to aim for as much consistency as possible with our neighbours.

This is the primary reason for considering whether to include some form of restriction on outdoor dining areas. At present, our policy is silent on restricting smoking in outdoor dining areas. Most of our smoking ban areas are similar to our neighbours, except issuing restrictions on outdoor dining areas on Council land. However, we acknowledge there could be an adverse impact on local businesses. We want to hear from you to see whether we should include this in our list or whether we’re better off leaving it out.

Making a submission

You can find copies of this proposal at our front counter at 16 Cobham Court, Porirua or any of our city libraries.

You can have your say in several ways:

• Make an online submission below. You can also download a submission form from the right-hand side menu, under Consultation documents.
• By email to: submissions@poriruacity.govt.nz, specifying “Public Places Bylaw”, “Signs Bylaw” or “Smokefree Outdoor Public Places” in the subject line
• By hand at: our front counter at 16 Cobham Court, Porirua City or any of our city libraries
• By post to:

Public Places Bylaw
Porirua City Council
PO Box 50218
Porirua City 5240

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.

Want to know more?

If you have any questions, or would like a little more information, please email us at submissions@poriruacity.govt.nz.