Murewa Rural District Council (Fishing) By-laws, 2024

Murewa Rural District Council has new fishing by-laws covering every dam and water source in its wards. No one may fish in, or take fish from, a council dam without written permission from the council, and permission must be applied for separately for each dam.

The council may refuse permission where granting it would unduly deplete the fish population, where it is not satisfied the applicant will behave in a way that does not disturb the peace or the local flora and fauna, or where the applicant has previously breached the by-laws or a condition of a permit. A refused applicant may ask for reasons and appeal in writing to the council, which must give an opportunity to make representations before deciding. Permission may also be revoked at any time on the same grounds, but only after the holder has been notified and given a chance to respond.

Permit holders pay quarterly permit fees prescribed by council order. The permission lasts for whatever period it specifies.

The council may close a season. After consulting National Parks where controlled waters are involved, it may publish a notice in a local newspaper fixing periods when fishing in a dam, or fishing for or taking a named species, is unlawful. Permit holders must acquaint themselves with every such notice before fishing — ignorance of a closed season is not an excuse — and catching fish during a closed period is an offence.

Tackle is restricted. You may use only a rod and line or hand-line, with no more than three single hooks, or one conventional lure carrying no more than three single, double or treble hooks, and no more than two rods at a time.

A police officer or an authorised council employee who finds someone near a dam in circumstances suggesting they have been fishing may demand their name and address, evidence of permission or of membership of a permitted association, and production of any fish and any tackle, bait, net, machine or appliance for taking fish. Refusing is an offence.

Two things a reader needs to know. No fine amounts appear anywhere: every offence carries "a fine prescribed by council", so the penalties must be obtained from the council. And the tackle restriction includes a puzzling paragraph banning "nets exceeding 2 000 metres in length" in by-laws that otherwise permit only rod and hand-line fishing — the figure looks like an error, and no reader should treat it as authorising nets. The by-laws also cite the Rural District Councils Act as "[Chapter 29:15]", which is the Urban Councils Act; the Rural District Councils Act is Chapter 29:13.