The Government is set to back down over fines for dog law offences because many offenders cannot afford to pay up.
The Dog Control Amendment Act, effective since last December, increased fines for offences such as having a dog off the leash or failing to pick up dog poo, from $200to $500.
Offences such as wilful obstruction of a dog control officer or giving false information about registration increased from $400 to $1000.
The fines were for offences deemed too minor to warrant prosecution.
It had been intended that people would have several warnings and then be fined but some councils, such as the Auckland City Council, had adopted a zero tolerance policy; one family who let their dog off her leash six houses from home were stunned to receive a $500 fine.
In light of such zealous enforcement, and evidence of people being unable to pay fines, Parliament's local government committee took the opportunity while considering some minor amendments to the legislation to recommend the Government reduce the level of fines.
The committee has recommended the fine for such things as having an unleashed dog be reduced from $500 to $300, and the next category reduce from $1000 to $750.
Committee chairwoman Jeanette Fitzsimons said councils were finding people were not paying the fines because they could not afford to.
"Then the only way of enforcing it is to take them to court anyway," she told NZPA.
"It causes the council a lot of cost in trying to pursue fees that people simply can't pay.
"They are meant to be minor offences and so it's better to have a fee that is seen to be something that is reasonable and something that is affordable."
The committee had not recommended any changes to penalties for more serious offences, such as a dog attack.
A spokesman for Local Government Minister Chris Carter said the minister was "relaxed" about the recommendations.
Elements of the Act yet to be implemented include compulsory microchipping of all dogs registered for the first time after 2006.
It was prompted by an attack on Auckland girl Carolina Anderson, who was mauled by an american staffordshire terrier in January last year.
