Keeping chickens and poultry

Poultry includes geese, ducks, pigeons, turkeys, peacocks and domestic fowls of all descriptions, age and gender.

Poultry may be kept in a Gisborne residential zone  - mainly Gisborne city, without permission, but in accordance with the following conditions, if:

• the poultry is always kept in a properly constructed and maintained fowl house and/or a properly enclosed poultry run
• there are no more than 12 head of poultry
• there are no roosters, geese, peacocks or peahen.

Poultry may be kept in other residential zones  - mainly rural townships, without permission, but in accordance with the following conditions, if:

• the property and adjoining properties are of rural character (with regard to the activities carried out and the area of the property)

Conditions for keeping poultry

In all residential zones

The poultry house or poultry run cannot be any closer than 10 metres from any house or other sensitive use or be any closer than 2 metres from any boundary.

In all zones

• The poultry house and run must be constructed and maintained so as to ensure that no nuisance occurs from its existence or use.
• Parasites, flies and other pests must not reach levels that may create a nuisance to neighbours or a health risk to humans or animals.
• Any discharge of objectionable or offensive odour must not be of an extent that it causes an adverse effect beyond the boundary of the property.
• Effective fencing or other containment measures must be provided to confine poultry within the site and to prevent them from gaining access to neighbouring properties.
• Poultry must be kept in such a manner that no other nuisance occurs.
• No nuisance shall be caused by any activity associated with the keeping of poultry including storage of food and waste.

Written council approval is required to keep poultry outside the conditions above.  You can fill in page 2 of the application form.

Intensive farming

Intensive farming requires consent under the Resource Management Act.  The activity is defined as Discretionary under the District Plan. The resource consent process for intensive farming may prescribe more conditions than those in the council bylaws.

Form and more information

Application form - Keeping Poultry

Bylaw - Keeping of Animals, Bees and Poultry