Having a pet

Having a pet at your Kāinga Ora home

Pets can be great companions and getting a pet (or keeping the one you may already have) is important to you. And now it’s important to us.

Having a pet in your home factsheet [PDF, 423 KB]

Being a great pet owner [PDF, 130 KB]

What is considered a pet?

• Dogs
• Cats
• Livestock (cows, sheep, horse, pigs, goats) that are kept as pets
• Birds, fish and small animals

Are there any conditions to having a pet?

Just like all New Zealanders you need to comply with the laws that apply to the keeping of pets. For example there might be council by-laws around the keeping of pets or if you live in a complex or apartment rules for keeping pets (including cats) - don’t worry we can check this for you.

If you want a pet that is a cat, dog or you live in a rural location and want a livestock animal

Call us on 0800 801 601. When you call we will also ask you a few questions about your pet.

Why call?

You need to let us know if you already have, or want to get a dog, cat or livestock animal as part of your Tenancy Agreement with us. We will also need to collect some information about your pet as we:

• don’t want you getting any fines. We will check your local council bylaws or if you live in a apartment or complex any body corporate rules for keeping pets
• to let our staff and contractors know when they come visit you
• you may have an old tenancy agreement that does not allow dogs. We need to update this for you. If you don’t you are breaching your Tenancy Agreement with us and we don’t want that.

If your pet is a dog or a livestock animal you be also asked to sign a Pet Information form, and agree to be a great pet owner. Just give us a call and we will get this all sorted for you.

Saying yes

If everything is okay, we will be in contact and let you know you can have a pet at your Kāinga Ora home.

If you do not hear from us, call our Customer Support Centre on 0800 801 601 for an update.

That’s it

Now you can keep your pet. And so long as your pet does not cause a nuisance to your neighbours or harm anyone there’s nothing more you need to do. So enjoy their company, look after them, and it will all be good.

Sometimes we may need to say no to you having a pet

If we say no to you having a pet we will let you know and you can always ask us to review our decision if you think it was unfair.

Making it safe for when we visit

Don't forget if your pet is a dog, we will need you to secure it. By secure we mean:

• put your dog in your car/truck and lock the doors. Make sure you wind the window down enough so your dog has fresh air
• put your dog on a leash and under the control of a responsible person. Not a young child
• put your dog on a chain in a way that the chain cannot loosen or break. For example a fence post, a dog run or a tree trunk. Don’t use door knobs, stakes in the ground or things that can be moved
• put your dog in a room/garage/shed that you can lock and secure your dog with a lead to a piece of furniture that will not move. Remember to let your kids know so they do not unlock the door and take the dog off the lead.
• take your dog for a walk on a leash while our staff are at your home.

Securing your dog factsheet [PDF, 478 KB]

Why do I need to do this?

Some dogs can be very territorial and may not like it when our staff and contractors visit. Because of this our staff or contractors won’t come onto the property or into your home if your dog is not secure.

We don’t want this to happen as there might be important or urgent work we need to do at your home to keep it warm, dry and safe.