Poultry, Pigs and Bees

Poultry

You can keep up to twelve head of poultry in a residential zone. If you want to keep more than twelve, you must have the written consent of Council. You must have a properly constructed poultry house.

The poultry house must be at least three metres from the property boundary, every poultry house shall be enclosed as to confine the poultry and must be kept clean and dry.

Chapter 7 - Keeping of Animals, Poultry and Bees of the Marlborough District Council (MDC) Bylaw 2010 contains requirements for poultry houses and their construction and maintenance and rules relating to noise and nuisance from poultry.

Keeping of Pigs

You cannot keep pigs in a residential area unless you have the written consent of Council. You must keep your pigs more than fifty metres away from any house, public place or the boundary of an adjoining property.

If you want to keep pigs within fifty metres of these places, you must have the written consent of Council. Chapter 7 - Keeping of Animals, Poultry and Bees of the Marlborough District Council (MDC) Bylaw 2010 contains requirements for maintaining the cleanliness of pigsties and the transport and storage of pigswill and manure.

Bees

You can keep bees on any land within the Marlborough District so long as the bees do not cause a danger, nuisance, annoyance to neighbours or to the public or cause a risk to health. The sale of honey from bees is regulated by Council's health protection team (for domestic sales) and by the NZ Food Safety Authority (for honey exports).

The NZ Food Safety Authority has information on labelling and packaging requirements. It also has information on tutin risks. Marlborough is a high risk area for tutin in honey. The NZFSA Standard for tutin can be viewed on the NZFSA website.

View the New Zealand Food Safety Authority website

If you have a swarm of unwanted bees or a hive on your property, the National Beekeepers' Association has contact details for their Marlborough branch. Contact the branch to find a beekeeper in your area. There may be a charge to have the bees removed.