Work begins on new Northern Animal Shelter

A locally-owned building company with a proven track record in civic construction has begun building the Far North District Council’s new Northern Animal Shelter in Kaitaia.

Kaitaia-based KPH Construction Ltd started work last month on a new $1.4 million animal shelter at Bonnetts Road.

The custom-built facility will meet all animal welfare standards and hold up to 12 dogs. It will also have separate quarantining facilities for puppies and adult dogs, exercise areas, and veterinary and storage facilities. 

Far North Mayor John Carter says the new facility will not only improve the wellbeing of dogs in the Council’s care, it will also significantly reduce occupational health and safety risks for the Council’s Animal Management Team.

“I acknowledge that our existing Northern Animal Shelter has not been ideal as a facility. This new, specially-designed shelter will improve the welfare of dogs and provide a much safer work environment for staff.”

Unlike the current dog shelter, the new building will provide facilities for owners to register and micro-chip their dogs. It will also have a space to view dogs being offered for adoption. Owners recovering impounded dogs will be able to pay impounding fees on-site, making that process quicker and easier. 

The Council estimates the new shelter will take six months to build and should be operational by April 2021. The Council will then decommission the existing animal shelter.

KPH Construction’s previous building projects include Te Ahu, as well as Kaitaia’s fire station, court house, police station and St John Ambulance Station.

Meanwhile, design work for the Council’s new Southern Animal Shelter at Ngapuhi Road near Kaikohe is continuing after it was pledged financial support under the Government’s ‘Shovel Ready’ programme. Designs have taken longer than expected due to delays caused by the COVID-19 lockdown in March. The Council aims to begin building work on this facility in early 2021.