Paws for applause: winner of council’s dog registration competition announced

Buller District Council’s Animal Management team is pleased to announce a winner has been drawn in this year’s inaugural dog registration competition.

Taika, a four-year-old black labrador from Punakaiki is the lucky recipient of free dog registration for the remainder of his years.

His owners, Richard and Evelyn, told us a bit about Taika’s story.

“Taika hails from the Craigieburn Forest area, near Mt Cheeseman and was the only boy in a litter of five born (to his Mum - also named Forest) in 2022. His dad was from Hokitika. He manages to stay in touch with his mother and sisters and took part in a ‘family reunion’ in April this year.

“His favourite pastimes include several walks a day, chasing foam balls on the tideline and he loves to run alongside a bike. He has a particular talent for games of hide and seek, and enjoys meeting new people, happily settling in for a pat (just in case a snack might be on offer). His good friend Peter rewards him with a pigs’ ear every now and again”.

Despite this busy schedule, Taika also manages to fit in kiwi avoidance training with the Department of Conservation. Kiwi avoidance training helps reduce the chance of a dog injuring or killing a kiwi and is a requirement in some areas that have kiwi and other ground-dwelling native birds.

Richard explains that Taika has been trained to not chase the neighbours’ chooks, or birds at the beach or river – but living adjacent to the Paparoa National Park means wild goats are always a potential distraction.

Group Manager Regulatory Services Simon Bastion congratulates Taika, Richard and Evelyn on winning the draw and says: “We are pleased with this year’s dog registration numbers, with over 1900 dogs registered across all categories district wide.

"We thank those who registered their canine companions on time – it is great to see residents supporting responsible dog ownership in Buller.”

BDC’s new competition initiative meant that all companion (non-working) dogs registered by 31 July 2026 which met responsible dog ownership criteria were entered in a prize draw to win free registration for the remaining life of the registered dog. The competition will become a regular feature on the council calendar going forward.

-ENDS-

For further information please contact:
Community Engagement Team
Buller District Council
Media.Enquiries@bdc.govt.nz 

Disclaimer
The information in this media release was correct at time of publication. Changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of the information.