Ban proposal upsets Fish & Game
By David Hill, Local Democracy Reporter
Fish and Game is unimpressed with a proposal to ban hunting dogs from the Ashley Rakahuri River estuary during duck shooting season.
The Waimakariri District Council is consulting on a new Northern Pegasus Bay Bylaw, which includes banning all dogs on the spit and the Ashley Rakahuri River and Saltwater Creek estuary.
The bylaw governs what activities are allowed on the district’s beaches.
The new rules will remove an exemption which has allowed holders of Fish and Game hunting licenses to take their dogs into the estuary area during gamebird hunting season.
The measures are designed to protect ecological values and bird habitats around the estuary and wetlands.
But Fish and Game North Canterbury game bird specialist Matt Garrick was not impressed with the proposed ban.
He said he corresponded with the council a year ago, but had not had any further contact.
‘‘I explained that duck season does not overlap during critical, sensitive periods, such as nesting, so there would be no conflict with dogs used for game bird hunting.’’
He said he requested data to demonstrate game bird hunting and dogs in the winter was having an effect on the estuary's bird life, but had heard nothing further.
The estuary is home to threatened bird species including wrybills, black-bill gulls, banded dotterels, black-fronted terns and pied oystercatchers, some of which are also endangered.
A council spokesperson said staff reached out to Fish and Game North Canterbury in January and May last year to inform the organisation it was conducting a review of the bylaw.
‘‘Based on feedback we received from the public consultation on the bylaw, which ran for three months over summer of 2023-24, we are now proposing to exclude all dogs and this would include hunting dogs.
‘‘We welcome any feedback on the proposed changes to the bylaw from Fish and Game and any other group or individual.’’
Submissions can be made at letstalk.waimakariri.govt.nz... until June 14.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
Worst Xmas ever?
There's a a lot of planning that goes into Christmas day and sometimes things just don't go to plan. But it can be a good thing - a family mishap or hilarious memory that you can laugh about in Christmases to come.
Whether you burnt the dinner or were stranded at an airport...
Share your Christmas mishaps below!
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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