1 September 2004

Rodney District Council adopts Dog Policy and Bylaw

Rodney District Council has adopted a new Dog Policy and Dog Bylaw.

The Council also accepted a recommendation that the public be further consulted regarding future possible amendments to Schedule Three. This Schedule covers where exactly in Rodney District dogs can be exercised off a leash and the consultation may give the opportunity for more places to be added to it.

Mayor John Law said the deliberations on the Draft Policy had proved to be difficult.

“Nevertheless we analysed the written and verbal submissions the public put forward carefully and decided to recommend that Red Beach and Stanmore Bay be withdrawn as designated dog exercise areas.”

“Exercise areas will however be increased in number from 12 to 30 district-wide and we’ll be going through a further process to consider more off-leash areas in Rodney.”

“I think our communities can appreciate that Rodney is huge in comparison to the metropolitan areas to our south and that therefore there is ample opportunity to meet the needs of more than one point of view.”

The Mayor says there is a great diversity of opinion ranging from the prescriptive on the one hand to the permissive on the other.

“There are those who say dogs everywhere except in such and such a place. That’s the permissive opinion. Then there is the prescriptive or prohibitive point of view which says dogs nowhere with the exception of so and so a place or places. I have to say there are some polarised opinions in our communities and the reason for revisiting part of the process was that some Councillors could see the merits in easing up on some our regulations. Given that, we need to consult again in and in some more detail.”

The Bylaw came into effect on 1 September, 2004.

ENDS

© Scoop Media

Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>