Cabinet minister Shane Jones wants a “very severe level of punishment” for owners of what he called “homicidal dogs”, in the wake of a fatal dog atack.
Jones made the comments to RNZ this morning, after a woman was mauled to death by a pack of dogs in Northland’s Kaihu yesterday. It was the third mauling death in Northland in the past four years.
Since the woman’s body was first discovered yesterday morning, media have reported that the animal’s owner had faced previous warnings, with the community also expressing concern.
Jones, who is based in Northland, said the issue of roaming dogs had been plaguing the region for “years”.
“Sadly, very few of the owners of these dogs are held accountable to a level that acts as a deterrent,” he said.
Jones wanted a “very severe level of punishment” for the owners of dangerous dogs.
“When I grew up in Awanui, if there were wild and dangerous dogs around, my father’s generation just shot them. That was the end of that problem.
“This culture is going to get worse and worse.
“We’re talking about animals that cause you to either wander around with a big stick or avoid going to certain parts of the community.”
He wanted to see the owners stripped of their right to own animals, and if necessary, face a “severe jail term”.
“They resent being told to tie their dogs up, they never ever get them registered, they resent being challenged by their neighbours or other elements in the community… We have to rely on the powers of the state.
“You’re not talking about Lassie here,” Jones said.
Roddy Pihema spoke to Breakfast about the issue of dogs, in the wake of yesterday’s fatal attack. (Source: Breakfast)
Bay of Islands Whangaroa Board member Roddy Pihema lost a relative to a dog attack in 2023 and has been working with his community to find solutions.
“We need to find better resolutions, better solutions than we have right now,” he told Breakfast this morning.
“We find that the dog issue isn’t just based in one territory, it’s right across the north, and it’s probably safe to say right across the nation.”
He said local councils were underfunded and could not address the issue effectively, preventing the “right resources from reaching the right people”.
Pihema called for better community outreach to bring people together to address the issue.
“Right now, we don’t have any funding to be able to do that.
“All we can do is give them pamphlets, and that’s not doing anything.
“Unless we’re willing to accept that responsibility and do whatever it takes, we’re going to continue to see people being injured, and ultimately we’ll see more sad cases just like out in Kaihu.”
In a statement, Local Government Minister Simon Watts said the Department of Internal Affairs was “continuing work on several approaches to support better dog control, including improving the quality and consistency of national dog-related data”.
"The Department is also working with the local government sector to refresh and improve dog control enforcement guidelines. This work will ensure consistent enforcement across New Zealand, and updated guidelines are expected to be issued by the beginning of Quarter 3, 2026.
"Following today’s tragic event, I have additionally asked officials for urgent advice on all available options to address this issue immediately."
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