Dogs

Fill out and sign a Dog Registration Form and either email it to us at reg@swdc.govt.nz or print and post/return to Council in person. You can also complete the form at one of our service centres at Featherston Library, Greytown Library or the Council office at 19 Kitchener Street, Martinborough.

Guidelines around registration

• All dogs aged three months or older, including all rural dogs, must be registered by 31 July each year. Applications to register dogs must be sent to South Wairarapa District Council, 19 Kitchener Street, Martinborough 5741, in time for registration by 31 July.
• A late registration fee of an additional 50% will be imposed for all dogs registered after 1 August.
• Registration tags must be attached to the dog’s collar at all times. Dogs found with no registration tags will be deemed unregistered and impounded. Impound fees may apply.
• All dogs that were first registered on or after 1 July 2006 must also be microchipped. Working dogs kept solely or principally for herding or driving stock and wearing current registration tags are exempt from this requirement.
• New dogs must be microchipped within two months of their first registration. The microchip number must be given to Council so we can add it to your dog’s details.

If all the details on your Dog Registration Invoice are correct and nothing has changed, you can complete the process online. Simply fill out the Dog Registration Declaration form and you will then be redirected to the payment page where you will be able to pay via online banking, Mastercard or Visa credit/debit card.

Alternatively, you can fill out and sign the Dog Registration Form that you received by email or post and either print and return to Council in person or email it to us at reg@swdc.govt.nz. You can also complete the form at one of our service centres at Featherston Library, Greytown Library or the Council office at 19 Kitchener Street, Martinborough.

If you haven’t received a dog registration form, please contact us on 06 306 9611 or at enquiries@swdc.govt.nz and we will send you one.

Before you return the form:

• Check the details are correct
• Delete any dogs sold or disposed of during the year or add any dogs that you now own but are not listed
• Check that dog owner’s date of birth is on the form
• Sign the form and return together with your payment

Payment can also be made online or at Featherston or Greytown Library or at the Council office in Martinborough.

Once we have received the signed and dated form as well as payment, tags will be issued by post within 10 working days.

Please note

• A late registration fee of an additional 50% will be imposed for all dogs registered after 1 August 2026.
• Impounding fees are subject to change.
• You cannot pay a portion of the yearly fee. While Council does not take part payments, if you have a puppy that is registered for the first time, you will be charged for the amount of full remaining months in the year. If you are registering a new adult dog you will need to pay for a full year of registration.

Legal Notice

Notice is hereby given, pursuant to section 37 of the Dog Control Act 1996, that South Wairarapa District Council has set the following dog control fees (inclusive of GST) for all dogs within South Wairarapa district. The fees set out [above] cover the financial period commencing 1 July 2026 and ending 30 June 2027.

All dogs, including rural dogs, of or over the age of three months, must be registered.

Applications to register dogs should be made by 1 July 2026 to South Wairarapa District Council, 19 Kitchener Street, Martinborough.

A late registration fee of an additional 50% will be imposed for all dogs registered after 1 August 2026.

All dogs that were first registered on or after 1 July 2006 must also be microchipped.

Working dogs kept solely or principally for herding or driving stock and wearing current registration tags are exempt from microchipping.

Dog registration fees enable the Council to:

• Patrol public areas – reserves, parks, beaches, sports fields and other areas
• Respond to animal welfare concerns
• Reunite lost dogs with owners
• Maintain pound facilities and care for impounded dogs
• Provide poo bags at dog parks and in our towns
• Maintain National dog database records
• Administer microchipping as per the Dog Control Act

Every dog owner in New Zealand is legally required to register and microchip their pet. Registering and microchipping your dog is a simple way for the Council to identify your dog as yours and allows us to easily reunite a dog with its owner if it goes missing.

Dog registration fees help fund services such as animal control, dog parks, and the pound. Registration tags must be attached to the dog’s collar at all times.

If you are in the possession of an unregistered dog for longer than 72 hours, you are deemed the owner of that dog under the Dog Control Act 1996. You will be given time to provide the dog’s details and pay the registration fee.

If the registration fee is not paid by the time given, you will receive an infringement notice for failure to register a dog. The infringement fee is $300 per dog.

Failure to register after this may result in your dog being seized and impounded. You will need to pay impound fees, registration and microchipping costs (if not already done) before your dog will be released.

There is no cost to transfer a registered dog in from another area. 

You can fill in this form and take it to one of our service centres at Featherston Library, Greytown Library or the Council office at 19 Kitchener Street, Martinborough. You can also scan and send to reg@swdc.govt.nz and you will be sent a tag in the mail.

Proof of registration will be required as well as personal identification in the form of a valid New Zealand Driver’s License or a valid passport.

When you arrive at your new destination, take your dog’s tag into the new Council. They will add you to their database and issue you a new tag for their district. You may need to produce ID when registering a dog at a new Council.

Your dog is registered for the whole of New Zealand. There is no cost to transfer a registered dog to another area within a registration year (1 July to 30 June). 

If your dog is not a working dog, it must be microchipped. You have two months from the date of first registration to have your pup microchipped. Talk to your vet to schedule a microchipping appointment.

A microchip is the size of a grain of rice and is permanently implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades. The microchip holds a 15-digit number and is much like a bar code. There is no other information on a microchip.

When a dog is found wandering or lost it is scanned for a microchip and the number is put into the National Dog Database to show who owns the dog, anywhere in Aotearoa New Zealand.  

If your dog is lost or stolen, microchips allow it to be easily identified so you will be reunited with your dog quickly.

The Greytown Dog Park is located on the corner of Cotter Street and Pierce Street. This park is on the old railway shed land, at the Greytown end of the Greytown to Woodside Trail walk.

The Martinborough Dog Park is located on the corner of Weld and Robert streets, about a 10-minute walk from the Martinborough Square.

The Featherston Dog Park is located on the corner of Johnston Street and Harrison Street West, near to Featherston Railway Station. 

• All dogs must be registered with the Council.
• Keep your dog under control at all times.
• Dogs must be contained on their property and not allowed to wander.
• Dogs must be on a leash in urban areas.
• Carry a leash when you are in rural areas.
• Ensure your dog receives proper care, food, water, shelter and exercise.
• Clean up after your dog in public areas.
• Make sure your dog does not injure, endanger, intimidate or distress anyone.
• Accept liability for any damage your dog does.
• Muzzle your dog in public if it is known to be unsociable or aggressive.
• Comply with Council’s dog bylaws.

We require proof that the dog is no longer in your care by supplying details of the new ownership. You will need to fill in the form below to ensure legal transfer of responsibility to the new owner.

Rehome dog form.

If your dog has died, let us know by filling out a Deceased Dog Declaration Form.

Council can also refund the full amount of the remaining months of the current registration year from the date they are notified of the dog’s death but you must fill in the Deceased Dog Declaration Form and provide evidence to prove your dog is deceased and the date your dog died.

You can have up to two dogs on an urban property. If you want to have more than two urban dogs you can apply for a permit by filling in the application below. The cost to apply for a permit is $165. Bylaws Officers will visit and meet your dogs and will also contact your neighbours to advise of the permit. There is no limit for rural properties. Contact the Bylaw Officers or ring 06 306 9611.

Dogs who are roaming, or have been seized for any reason are taken to the pound by Council Bylaw Officers who will ensure the dogs are cared for while in the pound. If your dog is seen wandering and is not wearing current registration tag, it will be impounded. All dogs must wear their current registration tag to show they are registered. Registered dogs may also be impounded if they are found wandering.

Ring the Bylaw Officers on 06 306 9611 (24 hours) to see if it has already been picked up. In the event that it has not been picked up, Bylaws Officers will know to keep an eye out for it.

In the event of a dog attack on a person, animal, stock or protected wildlife contact the Council confidentially on 06 306 9611 to report.

• Time and date of incident
• Details of the victim(s)
• Your details
• Exact location of the incident
• A description of the offending dog (colour, breed, size, sex, tag number)
• Address of dog (if known)
• Where you last saw the dog
• Details of any witnesses
• If the dog caused injury to a person or animal
• A vet or doctor’s report
• Photos of the injuries
• A signed statement from you and any other witnesses