Horses are being expected to be allowed on all beaches - with some limitations - at a Whangarei District Council extra-ordinary meeting today.
A draft bylaw amendment proposing horses be banned from all Whangarei beaches - bar Whananaki, Pataua, and two areas on Ruakaka beach - looks set to be scrapped, after 109 submissions were received by council, 104 of which were opposed to the ban.
As a result of the submissions, bylaw co-ordinator Mike Henehan has recommended in his report to today's meeting that horses be allowed on beaches, but with some limitations such as bans at conservation areas, bans from foot-bridges and summer-time bans.
His report recommends including a provision that council, by resolution, can ban horses on specific beaches and/or reserves where damage is caused.
Other limitations include bans at conservation areas, summer time bans - the same as the dog management bylaw - between 9am and 5pm from December 20 to January 31, and bans from any footbridge.