DOC, Unformed road & dogs

[3.5Pajero]

Hi Guys, hoping someone can shed a bit of light of how much 'power' DOC has over paper roads.

I was reading though the local paper yesterday and hidden away in the middle was an article saying DOC had banned dogs completely from certain areas in Ruakaka.

Some of these areas I can understand as they are known areas for endangered dotterals to nest. But the part that got me mad was a stretch of paper road that is well used by locals to walk their dogs. it sits on the edge of a fairly new subdivision and runs parallel with the ruakaka river. The closest thing to 'significant wildlife' on this stretch of paper road would be the dogs that people are walking!

So does DOC have the right to stop me walking my dog? They quite plainly said they will be enforcing the ban..I guess that means money making?

Cheers,
Travis

[DieselBoy]

Not quite the same as walking a Dog, but an interesting little bit of trivia.

The inside of your vehicle is considered under the law as being your private property. In fact the whole vehicle is considered your private property.

So therefore, if you have a dog with you inside your vehicle, it is on your property, not theirs.

[3.5Pajero]

Interesting..so technically I could drive my car down the paper road with the dog inside, probably do more damage to the wild life, but it's the principal right!
But thanks for the info, I would occasionally drag the canoe down to the river and go for a paddle with the dog..so looks like i'll be driving down the the river with the canoe from now on..

[Mudde1]

Not quite the same as walking a Dog, but an interesting little bit of trivia.

The inside of your vehicle is considered under the law as being your private property. In fact the whole vehicle is considered your private property.

So therefore, if you have a dog with you inside your vehicle, it is on your property, not theirs.

Not quite correct. If you are on Doc land ( generally) Dogs are not permitted, inside a vehicle or not. If you are on a legal road, doc have no control at all.

[Moriarty]

Remembering that you ARE on a public road, whether or not is formed, is not the issue.

Sounding like a broken record, Please don't use the term "paper road" always say it the long way, "Unformed legal road"

Why? Paper road gives the person you are asking for access to your road, will answer, "it isnt a real road, its only on paper" and this puts you on the back foot. Whereas, If you say, unformed LEGAL road, it puts HIM on the back foot, and no you have the psychological advantage.

[PeterVahry]

DoC have no powers over legal roads, those are on legal title of their own and are managed by the local authority eg the relevant district council.
In Northland DoC have been posturing and even stated in the draft CMS that they would not allow vehicles on unformed legal roads that run through DoC managed public lands. A government department ignoring the law!

However if the local authority has rules about dogs on roads/ public places then they may well apply to an unformed legal road too.

[Moriarty]

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However if the local authority has rules about dogs on roads/ public places then they may well apply to an unformed legal road too.

Absolutely, In most towns/cities, there is a ban on dogs (exempt guide dogs) in the CBD and other areas.

To achieve this, the rules pertaining to ALL road stoppages must apply, The area must be accurately defined, times of banning, and any other special conditions.

Its unlikely that a general ban on dogs on roads traveling through DoC land could be enforced. Going through The Uruwera Nat Park is one that comes to mind and we can all think of similar examples.