A Mount Maunganui resident says dog access rules are frequently being breached on Ōmanu Beach.

Brian Dey, who lives near the beach, said there was about one dog per 10 people in Tauranga, and the other nine people deserved a dog-free beach.

He said the beach had dog access rules, but they were not communicated clearly enough or dog owners ignored them.

“Yesterday when I looked out the window, there were 15 dogs on the beach in front of the surf club.”

There is a “no dogs” sign at the beach entrance, and a Ōmanu Beach carpark sign specifies “strictly no dogs” within 200 metres of the surf club. The penalty for breaching this is a $300 fine.

Dey said dozens of dogs were off-leash on the beach every day.

“The city council signage is a waste of time.”

He said the beach would be loaded with people in the summer with kids playing in the sand, “but that’s the same sand that dogs have been peeing on”.

“We should be able to avoid that.”

He was not against dogs but argued there should be a space without them for people to enjoy.

Dey suggested people walking dogs along the beach should exit, walk along the Oceanbeach Rd footpath and rejoin once they had passed Ōmanu Beach.

There were unleashed dogs on the beach when Local Democracy Reporting visited.

Tauranga animal services team leader Oscar Glossop. Photo / Kelly O'Hara

Tauranga City Council animal services team leader Oscar Glossop said dogs were not allowed on the Ōmanu foreshore area in front of the surf club.

He said dogs could pass through on a leash as long as they were under control and not causing a nuisance or danger to other people or animals.

“Most dog owners are responsible and enjoy walking their dogs on the beach.

“If we receive reports of breaches, or our officers observe them, we’ll investigate.”

The Ōmanu Beach carpark sign stipulating "no dogs". Photo / Kelly O'Hara

The Dog Management Bylaw said dogs should be on a leash at all times in the Ōmanu Beach carpark and were prohibited in front of the surf club between two beach access markers.

It said there was an exception for dogs to transit through the area on a leash.

Glossop said the bylaw was up for review in December 2028.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand and the Ōmanu club were approached for comment.

Ayla Yeoman is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based in Tauranga. She holds a Bachelor of Arts majoring in communications, politics and international relations from the University of Auckland, and has been a journalist since 2023.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.