Nine year old Mae, a beach-loving former farm dog, has scored her family a free year’s dog registration. A Labrador-Pointer mix, Mae has been a part of the Henderson family for the past seven years and was beaming with excitement when we visited their family home on Tuesday.
Congratulations to Juliet and Matt Henderson of Matamata. They won a free year’s dog registration for the 2025/26 year, valued at $162. This competition ran from 4 April – 1 May 2025, encouraging owners around the district to have their registration notice emailed rather than posted. If you’ve opted for the switch in previous years, you will automatically go into the draw next year.
“I was stoked – stoked that we won some sort of competition” said owner Matt Henderson, after receiving the good news. The family were automatically entered into the draw after switching from paper post to email updates about a year ago. When asked if they would encourage other dog owners to register their dogs, the Hendersons replied “Yes, definitely. It’s a lot easier now that everything is online and you don’t have to go in.”
Registering your dog helps reunite lost or stolen animals with their owners. “She’s part of the family,” Juliet adds. “If you lost your child, you’d want to know where they are. If Mae ever gets lost, being microchipped and registered means there’s a good chance she’ll get back to us.”
One of Mae’s favourite spots is Whangamatā beach, where the Hendersons often spend time during the summer months. Juliet says, “She’s not afraid of water, and she runs right in. Even when we take her out of town, they know exactly who she is because she’s registered.” This creates peace of mind for the Hendersons. When a dog is registered with their local council, details are entered into the National Dog Database. This makes it easier for local authorities to contact the family if something happens to Mae while they’re away.
When asked if they had any helpful advice for other dog owners, they replied “just keep them healthy, look after them, and take them out for walks.” In our district, we’re fortunate to have some great on and off-leash friendly exercise areas. A list of places where your dog can exercise without a leash can be found on our website at Dog exercise areas. For more advice and all things dog related, sign up for our Doggo in the District e-newsletter at mpdc.nz/signup.
We know life can get busy, so we’ve also made a few of our processes easier by moving them online. Whether you’re transferring ownership, updating your registered dog’s information, or notifying us of their passing, you no longer need to pop into your local council office. Just head to mpdc.nz/doitonline to update your dog’s details.
Save the date! 2025/26 registrations are heading your way in June. All dogs need their registration renewed by 31 July 2025.