All dogs living in the Westland District must be registered with the Westland District Council. The registration period runs from 1 July to 30 June.
It is an offence to own an unregistered dog three months of age or over. The fine for this offence is a $300 fine. Statistics suggest that fewer welfare and roaming complaints are received about registered dogs.
There are three classes of dog registration: Urban, Rural, and Responsible owner. Please contact Council for information about qualifying for ‘Responsible’ registration.
If your dog is registered in another district and you move to Westland, you can register it free of charge during the dog registration year. Bring your current registration tag into our office at 36 Weld Street along with any relevant paper work and you will be issued with a Westland District dog registration tag.
Re-registration
Online re-registration AVAILABLE HERE FROM 1st JULY 2023
Re-registration notices are sent in June each year. You must register your dog(s) by 31 July every year to avoid late payment penalties. You must still re-register your dog(s) even if you do not receive a notice.
You can re-register your dog(s) by:
- Using the online form instead of the paper form and paying online.
- Visit the customer service centre at 36 Weld Street, Hokitika, to complete the form and make your payment.
Or you can
- Post your signed registration form to Council at Private Bag 704, Hokitika 7842 or email it to dogs@westlanddc.govt.nz.
Once you have completed your re-registration form you need to make your payment either:
- Paying by direct debit into the Council bank account 03-0850-0110046-00 using the prefix DG and your owner ID (i.e. DG1234) as reference to your transaction and your registration form.
- or online.
When you receive your dog registration notice in June, please check that the details are correct. If any information requires updating, please write this on the registration form so that Dog Control records can be updated. Please ensure that your form has been signed before you return it.
You can register your dog by:
- Visiting our council office at 36 Weld Street, Hokitika.
We are open Monday – Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm - Phoning the council on 03 756 9010 or 0800 474 834
Feel free to fill in the forms below (as appropriate) and bring them with you, as this will speed up the registration process:
Fees and charges
| Description | Fee (as at July 2023) |
| Certified Disability Dog | Nil |
| Rural | $58.50 |
| Urban | $74.00 |
| Responsible Owners | |
| Inspection fee (first year) | $50, plus registration fee |
| Registration fee (all areas) | $50 |
If a registered dog dies during the registration year, you can request a pro-rata refund or credit to your account.
Here is a map highlighting the Dog Registration geographic boundaries.
A full list of all animal control fees and charges is available here.
Updating your details
As a dog owner you are responsible for advising council of any changes in your details throughout the whole registration year. This applies to any changes in address, phone number, email etc or any changes with your dog such as a change in ownership or if your dog has passed away or moved out of the district. This will ensure our records are kept up to date.
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