National Parks Act 1980

Infringement offences - Infringement offences

71C: Control of dogs

You could also call this:

"Rules for bringing dogs into national parks"

If you own or are in charge of a dog, you need to follow certain rules in national parks. You can't let your dog be in a national park if it's not allowed by the rules in section 56A. You also have to follow all the rules on a dog control permit if you have one.

If you're allowed to bring a dog into a national park, you must keep it under proper control. This means you can't let your dog run around freely in the park. If your dog is found wandering around on its own, it's not considered to be under proper control.

Remember, these rules are important. If you don't follow them, you might get in trouble and have to pay a fine. This is called an infringement offence.

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This page was last updated on 13 May 2025

View the original legislation for this page at https://legislation.govt.nz/act/public/1986/0120/latest/link.aspx?id=LMS149026.

Topics:

Environment and resources > Conservation

71B: Specially protected areas, or

"Protected areas in national parks need special permission to enter"

71D: Unauthorised actions in parks, or

"Things you're not allowed to do in national parks without permission"

Part 7AInfringement offences
Infringement offences

71CControl of dogs

An owner or a person in charge of a dog must not—
allow the dog to be in a national park in contravention of section 56A; or
fail to comply with a condition of a dog control permit.

A person who is authorised by or under this Act to take a dog into a national park must keep a dog that the person takes into a national park under proper control.
For the purposes of subsection (2), a dog is deemed not to be under proper control if it is found at large in a national park.
Subsection (3) does not limit subsection (2).
A person who fails to comply with this section commits an infringement offence.

Notes

Section 71C: inserted, on 21 December 2018, by section 35 of the Conservation (Infringement System) Act 2018 (2018 No 61).