On this page
- When to register your dog
- How to register your dog
- Specific Classes of dogs
- Registration fees information
- Renewing your dog's registration
- Replacement tags
- Owning more than two dogs in an urban area
- Dog registration offences
When to register your dog
You must register your dog:
- every year by 31 July
- once a puppy is 3 months old
- if you are moving into the Mackenzie District with a dog
- within 28 days of adopting a new dog.
How to register your dog
Before you apply to register your dog for the first time, make sure you have this information:
- Desexing certificate – if your dog has been desexed
- Microchip number – if your dog has been microchipped
- Your company name and GST number – if you have a working dog
- Adoption certificate – if you have adopted a dog from the SPCA
- Customs clearance certificate – if you have imported a dog
- Certification from an authorised organisation – if you have a disability assist dog
Note: If your dog has been desexed, you'll need a photograph or scanned copy of your dog’s desexing certificate. You can upload this to your online application or bring it to our Council offices at Fairlie and Twizel.
Register your dog - Online form
Register your dog - PDF form - PDF, 301.6 KB
Specific Classes of dogs
These are dogs which are trained to assist a person with a disability and have been granted special legal rights under the Human Rights Act 1993 and the Dog Control Act 1996. The Dog Control Act 1996 provides for the authorisation of certain organisations to certify disability assist dogs, and the Department of Internal Affairs authorises these 7 organisations as certifiers:
- Assistance Dogs NZ Trust
- Blind Low Vision NZ
- Hearing Dogs NZ
- K9 Medical Detection NZ
- Mobility Dogs
- NZ Epilepsy Assist Dog Trust
- Pawsible Service Dogs
- Perfect Partners Assistance Dogs Trust
Only dogs who have been certified by one of the above organisations can qualify to be classed as a Disability Assist Dog and be entitled to receive dog registration free of charge.
If you would like to register a new disability assist dog, please fill out the online registration form, and include a copy of the certification.
These are dogs which are defined under the Dog Control Act 1996 engaged in work with specific agencies or are primarily used in the driving or herding of stock.
- Aviation Security
- Department of Conservation
- Department of Corrections
- Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Ministry of Defence
- Ministry of Fisheries
- New Zealand Customs Service
- New Zealand Defence Force
- New Zealand Police
- Civil Defence Emergency Management
Only dogs who have been certified by one of the above organisations or demonstrated as being used for stock control can qualify to be classed as a working dog and be entitled to receive the lower dog registration.
Use our registration form to register a new working dog.
Registration fees information
Information about fees and charges for dogs is here.
Renewing your dog's registration
Dog registration fees are invoiced annually and renewed every year. The fee is discounted if it is paid by 31 July.
If your dog has been desexed since the previous year, you will need to provide a copy of the desexing certificate so we can amend the invoice before you pay. This needs to be done before invoices are sent out.
If you have Responsible Dog Owner Status, your fee is discounted further.
If any of the details showing on your invoice are incorrect, you no longer have your dog, or you are no longer living in the Mackenzie District, please email us at compliance@mackenzie.govt.nz and include your dog ID and person ID numbers found on your invoice.
Register your dog - Online form
Register your dog - PDF form - PDF, 301.6 KB
Replacement tags
Replacement discs and tags may be obtained from Council.
Dogs not wearing a collar with a current registration label or disc attached will, until the contrary is proved, be treated as unregistered.
If any dog over the age of 3 months is found not wearing a collar with a current registration label or disc attached, on land or premises other than its owner's land or premises, or in any public place, the dog may be seized and impounded.
Owning more than two dogs in an urban area
If you live in an urban area and want to keep more than two dogs over 3 months old, you must apply for a licence and pay the required fee.
A Dog Control Officer will decide whether to approve your application. They may:
- Approve the licence
- Approve it with conditions
- Decline the application
When making their decision, they will consider:
- Whether your property is large enough for the number and breed of dogs.
- Whether any of the dogs are classified as dangerous or menacing.
- Whether your fencing is secure.
- Whether there is safe access to the property without coming into contact with dogs.
- Whether kennels are suitable, well located, and provide adequate shelter.
- Any history of complaints or nuisance involving your dogs.
- Whether you understand and comply with your responsibilities under the Dog Control Act 1996 and Dog Control Bylaw 2021.
Licence conditions may include:
- A limit on the number of dogs you can keep.
- A set timeframe for the licence.
- Restrictions on the purpose for which the dogs are kept.
- Requirements for hygiene, dog control, confinement, and inspections.
- Measures to protect neighbours, visitors, and property.
- Emergency preparedness requirements, such as having food, leads, muzzles, and carriers available for your dogs.
A licence applies only to:
- The approved dog owner
- The approved dogs
- The approved property
The licence cannot be transferred to another person, another property, or different dogs.
Council may cancel a licence if the licence conditions are breached or if a Dog Control Officer considers the dog(s) to be, or likely to become, a nuisance.
Dog registration offences
It is an offence to keep a dog older than 3 months which is unregistered. On conviction, a court may impose a fine of up to $3,000.
It is an offence, when applying for the registration of a dog, to make any written statement knowing that statement to be false.