Bay of Plenty Times
  • Bay of Plenty Times home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Sport

Locations

  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Katikati
  • Tauranga
  • Mount Maunganui
  • Pāpāmoa
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Thames
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Bay of Plenty Times

Samantha Motion: It's not fair to say renters just shouldn't get pets

Samantha Motion
By Samantha Motion
Regional Content Leader·Bay of Plenty Times·
23 Nov, 2020 08:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Studies have shown numerous health benefits associated with pet ownership. Photo / Getty Images

Studies have shown numerous health benefits associated with pet ownership. Photo / Getty Images

OPINION

A search on Trade Me this week for rentals in the Bay of Plenty turned up 357 results.

Checking the "Pets OK" box, however, whittles that figure down to a measly 35 - and it's really only 33 because two were just holiday rentals.

Just under half of the listings wanted more than $600 a week for their pet-friendly paradises and some had conditions for furry friends - cats OK but no dogs; dogs preferred over cats; small pets only.

Slim pickings out there, then, for the 64 per cent - according to the New Zealand Companion Animal Council - of Kiwis who own a pet.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Our cat ownership rates are amongst the highest in the world, and the National Dog Database 2019 counts 565,757 registered dogs in Aotearoa - one for about every eight people.

Last week a Rotorua grandmother described scrolling rental listings with tears in her eyes trying to find somewhere for herself, her two grandchildren and their "therapy pets" - a cat and a dog - to live.

Another woman in the city, Pauline Harris, considered putting down her beloved dog Jet because of her struggle to find a rental with him.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Both cases had happy endings, with pet-friendly homes found, but not without a lot of stress and heartache.

If you're a renter in New Zealand it is probably not a responsible decision to get a pet because that is the cold, hard fact of the situation and the way the system is weighted.

Discover more

Samantha Motion: Nuclear option needed - replace city council

20 Nov 06:00 AM

Samantha Motion: Christmas in November? Okay, but just this once

20 Nov 08:00 PM

Samantha Motion: Yes, our region is beautiful - but it can be deadly

17 Nov 10:57 PM

Why I changed my mind about free school lunches

13 Nov 11:00 PM

But is it fair to deny all the benefits of pet ownership to people just because they are part of the growing population of Kiwis who will be life-long renters?

Studies have shown numerous health benefits of owning a pet, including lower stress and increased fitness. They help kids learn empathy and can also provide home security.

The last census found that just under a third of New Zealanders are renters and that rentals are getting more crowded. Homeownership rates were down and the number of empty homes was up.

With demand for rentals continuing to outstrip supply in the Bay of Plenty, landlords can afford to be picky when it comes to tenants and say no to pets.

It's a landlord's right to be risk-averse and protect their investment, but their fears seem to be based on worst-case scenarios that would bear little resemblance to the normal wear and tear reality of pets in homes.

Cutting pet owners out also ignores a segment of the tenancy market that is generally willing to pay more and stay longer.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

In March this year, the Australian state of Victoria made it a whole lot easier for renters to own pets.

Landlords now need reasonable grounds to refuse a tenant's request to get a pet and must also convince an independent body.

A change like that here would certainly help even out the property playing field but until then, responsible renters have little option but to go it alone.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

Bay of Plenty Times

'Quite fun': Hamish's quail egg business takes flight

16 Jun 12:09 AM
Premium
Bay of Plenty Times

Comvita forecasts another annual loss

15 Jun 11:39 PM
Bay of Plenty Times

Police find gun, drugs in stolen van

15 Jun 09:33 PM

The woman behind NZ’s first PAK’nSAVE

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Bay of Plenty Times

'Quite fun': Hamish's quail egg business takes flight

'Quite fun': Hamish's quail egg business takes flight

16 Jun 12:09 AM

Hamish began rearing quails for their eggs at age 11.

Premium
Comvita forecasts another annual loss

Comvita forecasts another annual loss

15 Jun 11:39 PM
Police find gun, drugs in stolen van

Police find gun, drugs in stolen van

15 Jun 09:33 PM
Premium
What's in store from $1.4m+ changes at popular Mount Maunganui reserve

What's in store from $1.4m+ changes at popular Mount Maunganui reserve

15 Jun 06:00 PM
How one volunteer makes people feel seen
sponsored

How one volunteer makes people feel seen

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Bay of Plenty Times e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Bay of Plenty Times
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP