FAQs

Bylaws are local laws made by councils under national legislation. We make bylaws for our communities when we think it’s necessary to:

• protect the public from nuisance,
• maintain, promote and protect public health and safety,
• minimise the potential for offensive behaviour in public places, or
• regulate certain activities or manage particular Council infrastructure (as provided for under section 146 of the LGA).

The purpose of the Bylaw is to protect the public from nuisance, maintain public health and safety, and minimise the potential for offensive behaviour in public places.

The Bylaw controls a broad range of matters in the Wairarapa such as:

• making sure the public can enjoy parks, reserves, cemeteries and other public places (through rules on activities that can occur like setting off fireworks, soliciting, and demonstrations/gatherings),
• making sure the public is protected from nuisance through rules on activities such as the keeping of animals (excluding dogs),
• controlling where and how people can park and use vehicles in our districts to ensure road users are safe,
• licencing activities such tattooing and skin piercing that need to be done in a safe and responsible way, and
• protecting Councils critical infrastructure such as its water supply and wastewater networks so we can continue to provide services, like safe drinking water, to the community.

The Wairarapa District Councils each have their own bylaws that are not included as part of the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw. This includes bylaws controlling dogs, alcohol, freedom camping and water races. These bylaws are kept separate as each district faces different challenges and it enables councils to respond to the unique needs of their communities.

The Wairarapa District Councils also have a Wairarapa Solid Waste Management and Minimisation Bylaw.

These bylaws each have their own review timeframes. You can view the bylaws on the Council websites and have your say on these in future as they come up for review.

Bylaws can be enforced by authorised Council staff or, in some cases, other agencies such as New Zealand Police. Not complying with the Bylaw is a criminal offence. If a bylaw is breached, consequences can include fines, prosecution, seizure of property, or other remedial action.

Bylaws need to be reviewed at intervals required by the Act the bylaw is made under. Bylaws made under the Loca Government Act 2002 must be reviewed five years after they were first made and then every ten years after that.

The Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw was first adopted in 2019 and is due for review. The bylaw will expire in June 2026 if not replaced.

The Wairarapa District Councils consider that, on the whole, the Bylaw is working well. The Councils propose a replacement Bylaw with some key changes based on the findings of our research and feedback from stakeholders to better achieve the purpose of the Bylaw.

Among the key changes include proposals to:

• remove the wheeled-recreational device prohibition in the Masterton CBD and Kuripuni shopping area. This means people would be able to ride skateboards and scooters in these areas (Part Two – Public Places (including Parks and Reserves)).
• introduce requirements for businesses using footpaths and other public places for sandwich boards and outdoor dining. This would ensure the pathways are accessible for other users and do not create a safety risk (Part Two – Public Places (including Parks and Reserves).
• introduce three mobile trading sites in Riversdale Beach to respond to community demand and to align with the approach for Castlepoint. This would enable mobile traders, like food trucks, to sell goods in public in the permitted areas. We are also proposing to remove some stall sites in the Masterton CBD due to low demand for these sites and increased pedestrian traffic (Part Three – Sale of Goods in Public Places).
• introduce requirements to minimise nuisance and risk to health and safety from the keeping of animals. This includes new requirements on the location and number of beehives able to be kept on urban properties, and standards for the slaughtering of stock or poultry to ensure it is done in a way that is not offensive to other people (Part Five – Keeping of Animals, Poultry and Bees).
• require businesses to seek Council permission to park their vehicles on the road for storage in connection with or as part of their trade or business. This will ensure there is sufficient parking available for other users. (Part Six – Traffic)
• prohibit vehicles from accessing the foreshore of Castlepoint Beach that runs parallel to Jetty Road, and limit the speed of vehicles Castlepoint and Riversdale Beaches to 10km/h. This ensures users of the beach can enjoy it safely. (Part Six – Traffic)
• ensure conduct at our cemeteries is appropriate. Changes are proposed to prevent people from interrupting a funeral service or behaving in a way that creates a nuisance or offense to others. Placing any objectionable markings on monuments or other structures is also not allowed. (Part Seven – Cemeteries)
• exempt practitioners undertaking Tā moko on a marae and in accordance with tikanga Māori from the requirements of Part Eight - Beauty Therapy, Tattooing and Skin Piercing. Tā moko is considered to be a taonga (or cultural treasure). Article 2 of the Treaty of Waitangi protects Māori rangatiratanga over taonga.
• better protect the Council’s water supply and wastewater networks. This includes proposals to require all customers in Wairarapa to contact the Wastewater Authority (Council or their authorised agent) first if they suspect a blockage in the wastewater drainage network. It is also proposed applications from trade premises to discharge prohibited trade waste to the network would not be accepted due to the harm it can cause (Part Ten – Wastewater and Part Eleven – Trade Waste).

In developing our proposed changes we carried our research and had input from key stakeholders such as Police, the Medical Officer of Health (Health NZ/ Te Whatu Ora), Business Wairarapa, Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Iwi, Council inspectors, and industry associations. We also reviewed relevant data and complaint information.

The proposed amendments aim to ensure our communities can continue to enjoy the Wairarapa in a healthy and safe way.

Further information is available in the Statement of Proposal and Review Findings Report (PDF, 7.5MB).

In December 2023, the Government announced a new direction for water services (drinking water, wastewater and stormwater services) which it has called Local Water Done Well. Local Water Done Well is being implemented in stages, each with its own piece of legislation.

The Local Government (Water Services Preliminary Arrangements) Act 2024 requires councils to prepare water service delivery plans by September 2025 that identify the current state of the councils water services and demonstrates council’s commitment to deliver water services in a way that ensures compliance, meets drinking water standards, is financially sustainable, and supports housing growth and urban development.

The Wairarapa District Councils (and Tararua District Council) consulted their communities about options for future water services delivery in early 2025. Masterton District Council's Local Water Done Well consultation closed with 139 submissions received.

Of the 135 submissions that indicated a preference, 60 per cent supported the proposed Wairarapa-Tararua combined water services model, while 40 per cent preferred that Masterton District Council continue to deliver water services independently. The new arrangements are expected to take effect from 1 July 2026.

The Local Government (Water Services) Bill (the Bill) establishes enduring settings for the new water services system. It was introduced to Parliament in December 2024. Subparts 1 to 3 of Part 6 of this Bill covers a new framework for water services bylaws, including new functions and graduated enforcement tools.

• Subpart 1 provides councils with powers to make water services bylaws, and enables the delegation of functions or powers that relate to the administration or enforcement of a water services bylaw to a water service provider operating in the district. It also requires the initial and ongoing review of water services bylaws.
• Subpart 2 covers compliance and enforcement matters, including providing for infringement offences, compliance officers, and compliance powers.
• Subpart 3 provides for a range of offences and penalties relating to water infrastructure and water services networks.

This Bill has implications for Parts Nine, Ten and Eleven of the proposed bylaw. It requires territorial authorities to complete an initial review of each water services bylaw within two years of the Act coming into force (section 351).

As the Wairarapa Consolidated Bylaw 2019 will expire in June 2026, these three parts have been included in the proposed bylaw to ensure our water supply and wastewater networks remain protected ahead of this initial review being completed.

We have structured the proposed bylaw in a way that allows these parts to be revoked as part of the initial review (if required) without impacting the remaining structure of the bylaw.

Feedback will inform the final Bylaw presented to each council for adoption in September/October.

Following community consultation, and subject to adoption by the Wairarapa District Councils, the Bylaw is proposed to take effect from 1 October 2025.