Auckland Council is currently reviewing dog rules at several parks and beaches. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
About 50 Auckland dog owners proudly held up pictures of their pooches at a local board meeting on Thursday.
Auckland Council is currently reviewing dog rules at several parks and beaches.
The group Monte Cecilia Dog Lovers were protesting a local board decision to ban off-leash dogs at the popular suburban park.
Emotions ran high in the packed public gallery as Puketāpapa local board members finalised their vote to axe Monte Cecilia's off-leash bowl area; 4 to 2.
The board's communities and residents members chair Ella Kumar, deputy chair Fiona Lai, Roseanne Hay and Mark Pervan voted to make the park strictly on-leash, citing safety for other park users.
The board's two City Vision members John Turner and Bobby Shen voted to maintain the status quo.
Local Kellie Ames was distraught by the decision.
"I'm absolutely gutted. I bring my dog with my daughter to the park at least four times a week.
"We've all agreed to follow the current rules and walk our dogs to the bowl before taking them off the leash.
"We're picking up after ourselves. If we find poo on the ground we pick up the poo. We're making a concerted effort to work with the whole community."
Sam Jack said he took the day of work to "fly the flag" for his furry friend.
"It seemed like a set up and a foregone conclusion to take it away against the advice of council staff. It's disgraceful."
Maureen Pinto. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins
Maureen Pinto was devastated her dog Freddy would no longer be able to roam free at the park.
"There could be one or two incidents, but you don't penalise hundreds of dogs."
Dog trainer Mark Jorey did not want to see one of the city's few off-leash dog areas removed.
"It's not what's best for the dogs but dogs do need to be trained and controlled.
"I agree with the other side that there are issues and those need to be looked at but not a blanket ban."
Shona Flood. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins
Shona Flood had been taking her dog Mr Kippy to Monte Cecilia for years before he passed away two years ago.
But she continued to visit the park often and said and interacting with off-leash dogs had helped her with her grief.
"There have been issues with dogs being off-leash in on-leash areas.
"There needs to be better signage, better education and enforcement, but let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater."
Iain Bremner. Photo: RNZ/Jessica Hopkins
Long-time resident Iain Bremner also attended the meeting and said the park had become dominated by dog owners.
He said the off-leash and on-leash areas were too close together.
"Owners are removing the leash as soon as they get out of the car park and letting their dogs run down to the off-leash bowl or wander around in the on-leash area.
"I know people who won't go to the park because they were approached by dogs, maybe in a friendly manner, but they didn't like it and were irritated."
The board's chair said she had heard from members of the public who supported the board's decision, but were too intimated to attend the meeting.
City Vision members and the Dog Lovers group argued the decision was undemocratic after 88 percent of public submissions on the future of the park wanted to keep the off-leash area.
The group's spokesperson Jonathan Sweeney said they were considering legal action, including a judicial review.
He said the Ombudsman had also agreed to investigate after complaints were made about the board's decision process.
"I'm completely despondent. We've done a huge amount of work to offer solutions and again we are stonewalled by the communities and residents dominated board who don't listen and are relying on anecdotes and random emails for their decision."
Monte Cecilia park will be on-leash from August despite council staff recommending it stay off-leash. Photo: RNZ/Mohamed Hassan
Local board member Jon Turner said his colleagues were ignoring the recommendation of Auckland Council's own staff.
Staff advised the board to leave the off-leash area as is but improve signage and put in doggy litter bags.
"It's disappointing all of the arguments and emotions put forward were basically ignored based on this flawed premise that taking away that area is going to make the park better for everyone," Turner said.
He said the few incidents involving dogs at the park reported to the council in recent years happened in the on-leash area and were not more significant than other parks in Auckland.
He said despite board members suggesting a fenced-off off-leash area as a solution, council staff advised this would not be possible if the board went ahead with bylaw changes to make the park on-leash only.
He said council staff had also recommended delineating the area with big rocks and looking at ways to increase compliance.
Board chair Kumar affirmed her commitment to looking out for all users of the park despite backlash from some.
She said they needed to represent those who didn't engage with their formal consultation process.
She said not all dog-related incident that happened at the park would have been reported to the council.
She hoped their changes would encourage more non-dog owners to visit Monte Cecilia, where a new playground was being built.
When approached for comment, a statement from Kumar earlier given to RNZ in May was provided.
"We want our community to feel safe when enjoying our many parks and reserves in Puketāpapa.
"Our decision to change some locations from off-leash to on-leash will ensure these spaces are more accessible for all park users.
"Monte Cecilia is well-used by our community - from people out exercising and enjoying a walk, to families, including those will small children, spending some time in nature.
"We're exploring a fenced dog exercise area for Monte Cecilia Park, with further work to be carried out on this initiative.
"In making our decision, we consider many things like formal submissions, the needs of both local and wider communities, the importance of green spaces for holistic wellbeing, and how the park is maintained and funded. We also looked at how our parks can best serve all users - now and in the future - and the unique role Monte Cecilia plays as a premier park for the entire city."
The changes at Monte Cecilia are set to come into force on 1 August 2025.
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