Local Government Minister Rodney Hide has announced a wide ranging review of dog laws.
Everything from registering owners, banning some breeds and whether microchipping is working or not would be up for debate.
Hide, in a speech to the New Zealand Companion Animal Conference in Auckland on Tuesday, says the review was not a government priority and would not get under way until 2011.
He thought there should be a greater emphasis on freedom.
"I believe that dog owners should be free to enjoy the companionship of their dogs and that their freedom should only be constrained if they or their dog ... significantly interferes with the rights of others."
Existing laws were an "onerous muddle" and he was concerned that some councils went too far in restricting freedoms.
"There is anecdotal evidence that councils have restricted dog owners to an extent that goes beyond the removal of significant threats to others," he says.
He advocated focusing on the irresponsible few instead of punishing the good owners.
Hide also questioned the value of microchipping.
"... is it good value for money? Does it help us deal with the worst criminal use of dogs by gangs? I'll be looking for real evidence in any review of our dog control laws."
He questioned whether dog laws should be made at local rather than central government level and said there was variation around the country.
SPCA national chief executive Robyn Kippenberger told Radio New Zealand a national dog register was not working well because of different councils' approaches.
Also some councils made it hard for owners to comply with registration requirements.
There was also frustration that information obtained by microchipping and kept on council databases was not made public which reduced its usefulness in rehoming lost dogs.
Local Government chief executive Eugene Bowen said different areas had different requirements and the databases were designed to managed dangerous not lost dogs.
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