A temporary change to Auckland Council’s dog walking rules will help endangered shorebirds breed and rest safely at the northern end of Snells Beach.
With Snells Beach a hotspot for threatened and at-risk shorebirds, a temporary rule change will protect them, and applies from 13 September to 24 March.
During this time dogs are:
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prohibited from all beach and intertidal areas, north of the Sunburst Avenue boat ramp
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on leash at all times on all reserves, north of the Sunburst Avenue boat ramp.
Rodney Local Board Chair Brent Bailey says the beach’s northern end is a breeding site for the New Zealand dotterel which has a threatened and nationally increasing conservation status.
“It’s encouraging that dotterel pairs are increasing and protecting nesting birds is important. And equally exciting is the fact that several juvenile New Zealand fairy terns, have visited the area over the past six years, as they are our rarest bird species.
“It’s down to the volunteer groups who spend many hours getting ready for the birds’ arrival, planting the wetland and dune areas, and safeguarding the birds’ habitat.”
Other shorebird species present in the area include bar-tailed godwits, variable oystercatchers, South Island pied oystercatchers and red-billed gulls. Signs advising people of the temporary rule change are being installed.
Bailey says that for the most part, the need for this temporary change to the dog rules is respected by the community. People walk their dogs elsewhere, so they don’t disturb the shorebirds, and that supports locals’ conservation efforts.
Dog access rules for all other beach and reserve areas south of the Sunburst Avenue Boat ramp are unchanged. These rules can be found in the Auckland Council Policy on Dogs 2019 document available on the council website at aucklandcouncil.govt.nz.
Nearby places for dog walking include:
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South of the Sunburst Reserve boat ramp until 30 November, and from 1 December to 1 March before 10am or after 5 pm
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Goodall Reserve (behind Mahurangi East Library)
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Te Whau Esplanade Reserve (Dawson Road end)
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Dawson Road Reserve.
For enquiries about the temporary change to dog access rules, email biodiversity@aucklandcouncil.govt.nz
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