Beach-loving horses may get go ahead

Horses are being expected to be allowed on all beaches after a council meeting today. Photo / Michael Cunningham

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.

There would also be safe-zone bans, which would include the ability to grant exemptions to people or organisations, such as the Whangarei Racing Club in the case of any safe zone at north Ruakaka, where all vehicles are banned between Labour weekend and Easter Monday.

Another recommendation includes having all year horse exercise areas at Ruakaka north and at Uretiti.

"It is viewed that while these changes provide a range of options for riding horses on beaches, it also gives council the flexibility to manage any issues, including damage, through the ability to amend schedules by resolution," Mr Henehan said.

Common themes from those who supported riding horses on the beach include that vehicles cause more damage than horses (14 submissions), council does not provide enough locations suitable for horse riding (10 submissions), the designated area at Uretiti is not long enough (7 submissions), and that council should develop a code of conduct for horse riding (8 submissions).

Other bylaws being decided today include on buskers, skateboards, cycles and scooters in the CBD and advertising signs.