The Minister has announced that dog tethering regulations have passed through Cabinet and will be released later this year!

These new regulations, once they are released, will give Animal Welfare Inspectors an enforcement tool to better protect dogs subjected to harmful, prolonged tethering. For the first time, there will be a clear, enforceable standard, allowing intervention where dogs are suffering physically, emotionally, or are kept in unsafe conditions due to the way they are tethered.

Once the regulations are released, there will be an education period where SPCA and MPI will work to help owners understand and comply with the new rules.

Tethering or chaining a dog describes the tying of a dog with a rope, line, or chain to a fixed stationary point (also referred to as ‘life chaining’ when prolonged). Close confinement of a dog describes a situation where a dog is contained in an enclosure or cage that provides insufficient space to meet their physical, health and behavioural needs.

The current legislative and regulatory framework restricts animal welfare Inspectors’ ability to intervene in many of these cases. SPCA has raised the issue of prolonged tethering and confinement of dogs with MPI and the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee consistently over a number of years calling for better protections for these dogs.

In 2022, over 20,000 New Zealanders called for action through our Break the Chain campaign. This resulted in the drafting and public consultation of a number of proposed tethering regulations, bringing these dogs one step closer to a better life.

In early 2023, the Government closed the public consultation period on these regulations. Although SPCA, other animal welfare organisations and many members of the public submitted on the proposed regulations, little has been communicated publicly since then and we are concerned this issue may have dropped down the priority list.

We are so close but progress appears to have stalled. We now are calling for all New Zealanders to take action once more and demand the change.

2025 April Minister announces new dog tethering regulations will be announced this year!

2023 August 15,000 people co-signed our letter to the Minister demanding decisive action to progress the regulations

2023 February MPI opens public consultation on draft dog tethering regulations, with the consultation period closing in March

2022 August Petition Select Committee Report supports introducing regulations to address prolonged tethering and confinement of dogs

2022 July SPCA “Break the Chain” campaign sees more than 20,000 New Zealanders take action to call for better protections for chained and caged dogs

2022 April SPCA submits in support of the Chained Dog Awareness New Zealand petition which called for an end to life chaining of dogs and was signed by more than 29,000 people

2021 December SPCA submits Policy Brief to Associate Minister of Animal Welfare calling for Amendment to the Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations 2018 to address the issue of prolonged tethering and confinement through regulations

2018 Animal Welfare (Care and Procedures) Regulations were released but the final regulations did not address prolonged tethering or confinement of dogs

2015-2017 SPCA calls for dog tethering regulations through written submissions and MPI stakeholder workshop