Police, Federated Farmers and local councils are urging stock owners to secure their fences following a spate of motor vehicle crashes involving wandering animals.

Recent ACC data shows 16 motor vehicle livestock-related injury claims were filed in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty district since 2019, costing taxpayers more than $215,000 in compensation payments.

Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter says in the past three months there had been four crashes involving vehicles hitting livestock, two in the Te Puke area and two on State Highway 29 heading up the Kaimāī Range.

In each case the animals hit - a horse and three cows - died, he says.

Wayne says this included police responding to a crash involving a car and two horses on Hereford Rd in Ōropi on May 6, where one of the horses died.

He says the driver suffered minor injuries and did not require medical attention.

Among the other crashes was a collision between a car and a cow on Pukehina Beach Rd, Te Puke, on March 22. The driver was not injured.

Western Bay of Plenty road policing manager Senior Sergeant Wayne Hunter urged motorists to watch out for roaming animals and livestock owners to ensure they secured their gates and fences. Photo: NZME.

The vehicles involved in the four crashes were written off, as once a vehicle’s airbags were deployed they were “too expensive to repair”.

He says animals wandering onto local roads and highways were a “significant hazard” and there was always a potential for serious injury and even fatal crashes.

It was “sheer luck”, the drivers in those crashes were not seriously injured or killed especially when often these incidents happened in the dark.

“If a car hits a horse at 100km/h there is always the risk of serious injuries or worse. You can only imagine the damage these hoofed animals could cause if they ended up on the vehicle’s bonnet and smashed the driver’s windscreen.”

Wayne says there was the potential for livestock owners to be fined by the local councils or have their animals impounded if regularly found wandering onto the road.

Brent Mountfort, sheep and beef farmer and Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty provincial president. Photo / Alex Cairns.

Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty provincial president Brent Mounfort endorsed Wayne’s comments.

“Like checking your alarms, livestock owners need to regularly check their fences for any weaknesses and ensure their gates are security latched.”

Mountfort, a sheep and beef farmer, also urged motorists to be careful driving on rural roads.

He says some animals were “quite crafty” and despite their owners’ best efforts they could attempt to escape their enclosures by jumping fences or taking advantage of weakened or inadequate fencing.

Tauranga City Council's animal services team leader Brent Lincoln.

The latest ACC data obtained by the Bay of Plenty Times revealed 53 motor vehicle livestock-related injury claims were lodged in the Bay of Plenty region between January 1, 2019, and May 21 this year.

This included 16 in Tauranga city and the Western Bay of Plenty district costing taxpayers a total of $215,108 (excluding GST) during that period.

Of the 53 ACC claims in the Bay of Plenty region, the most prevalent primary injury cases (32 claims) were for soft tissue injuries followed by 12 for fractures and dislocations and compensation payments for those injury cases cost taxpayers a total of $995,109 ( excluding GST) to help people recover.

ACC’s workplace safety manager Virginia Burton-Konia says ACC wanted to see a reduction in people being injured on our roads.

“Motorists, particularly on rural roads, need to be aware of the risks especially when driving at night. We need to take a moment to slow down and be more aware.

“The other onus is on farms to ensure fences are repaired and maintained to ensure animals are kept safely in their paddocks.”

Tauranga City Council animal services team leader Brent Lincoln says the council had limited enforcement powers in dealing with these incidents. Primarily it was a police traffic matter or a Waka Kotahi NZTA matter if any wandering stock was spotted on state highways.

However, stock owners were required to ensure their animals were secure at all times as under the council’s bylaws, the Impounding Act and Fencing Act, owners whose stock got loose were liable for a range of fees.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council animal services team leader Peter Hrstich says the council was aware of the Hereford Rd, Ōropi crash last month.

He says although this was the only incident of this kind the council knew of this year, there had been several reports of “near-misses” that usually happened at night.

Peter says council contractors responded to these calls, but more often than not the stock was no longer on the road when the contractors patrolled the area.

He says under the Impounding Act 1955, stock found roaming on the road could be impounded but that was not a straightforward exercise.

“Mostly, livestock ends up on the road due to poor or inadequate fencing. Owners take a big gamble when they neglect this, and [take a] chance [of] their stock causing an accident which could result in serious injury or death.

“Stock owners must take proper steps to keep their animals secure to protect drivers and others using our roads.”

-Bay of Plenty Times.