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Advocates seeking a bylaw to stop people from feeding kea will continue their push despite being knocked back by the Selwyn District Council.
The council said the bylaw proposal for Arthur’s Pass does not fit within its legal powers.
“This is not something council would lead through a bylaw, as it sits outside our statutory role and is already addressed within the existing legislative framework,” said council head of regulatory Jacquie Muir.
Kea Conservation Trust community engagement co-ordinator for Arthur’s Pass, Renée Habluetzel, disagreed with the council’s opinion.
She said the community had received an informal legal opinion suggesting there may be a workaround to progress a bylaw.
“Our understanding is that a kea feeding bylaw would fit with the Local Government Act because of the harm to property, the public health risks from food attracting rodents, and the distress caused to people when kea are fed,” she said.
Muir said kea are a protected species and primary responsibility for their management rests with the Department of Conservation, which administers the Wildlife Act 1953.
However, Habluetzel said the Wildlife Act does not prevent people from feeding the birds.
She said the ultimate goal of a bylaw would be to encourage kea back into the bush, where they are less exposed to risks associated with human interaction.
Habluetzel said the bylaw would be used primarily as an educational tool, with enforcement considered a last resort.