Change Auckland City Council dog registration tags from plastic to metal.

We are a group of students from Glendowie College who are carrying out a social action as part of an internal for our Global Studies class. This internal is part of the NCEA Level 3 Social Studies framework and we will be assessed as per the marking criteria in AS91599: Examine personal involvement in a social action(s) that aims to influence policy change(s). This internal requires us to carry out a social action that aims to influence a policy change, and then examine our personal involvement within our campaign. 

As a group of students who own dogs and live in Auckland, we are aware that they need to be registered according to the Auckland City Council guidelines. As part of the current registration process, a dog receives a coloured plastic dog tag with it's registration number on it and the name of the regional council it was distributed by. However, these have to be renewed every year months and if they get lost.

In Auckland 206,000 dog registration tags are initially issued every year (this number rises when considering those that have to be re-issued after being lost). Often, used tags are not recycled and contribute to the plastic waste that accumulates in Auckland's waste system.

Our campaign proposes to follow the recent change implemented by the Wellington City Council in July 2021, which saw them switch from similar plastic dog registration tags to metal tags meant to last the dog's lifetime, which has become known as the 'One Tag'. It is made of anodised aluminium to prevent rusting and has the dog's registration number and council code (e.g Wellington City Council, WCC) engraved on one side, and room for the dog's name or the owner's number to be engraved on the other side. The fee is to be paid once a year while the dog keeps the same metal registration tag throughout their life.

We are aiming to influence an identical change in the Auckland City Council's dog registration process, where each dog will be issued a metal 'One Tag' meant to last it's entire life. It will cost approximately the same to register a dog per year.

Please be aware that this petition will be presented to Auckland City Council as evidence that our proposal is supported by our community. Your full name is required to sign this petition, and we have made it optional to leave a comment and your email adress if you have any further questions before signing or feedback. If you do not consent to having your name recorded please do not sign this petition.

Image: Wellington City Council 'One Tag'

Chloe Diprose    Contact the author of the petition