Resource material › Dog Control › National Dog Database

Updated July 2024

The National Dog Database (NDD) holds information on all registered dogs including registration detail, microchip number (if applicable), breed and year of birth. The name, address and date of birth details of owners are also recorded.

Local councils supply and maintain information held on the database, established by The Department of Internal Affairs. The information is accessible to councils and is not available to the general public. Breed and Colour lists are available from local councils.

• Territorial Authority Interface Guidelines
• Territorial Authority Interface Schema
• National Dog Database System Glossary
• Territorial Authority Interface Connection Guide
• Territorial Authority Interface Testing Guide
• Amended Dog Control and National Dogs Database Regulations

Territorial Authority Interface Guidelines

In order to obtain the dog, owner, registration, and infringement information from the Local Councils (Territorial Authorities or TAs) an XML file is provided to the NDD on a regular basis by each of the TAs notifying insertions, updates or deletions for dog, owner, registration, and infringement information that has occurred in the batch period.

The purpose of this document is to provide context, background and guidelines for the XML schema design. The intended audience is both TAs and the suppliers of Dog Control Systems to TAs.

Territorial Authority Interface Guidelines - Version 5.9 (July 2024) .pdf (1.3MB)*
The TA Interface Guidelines (V5.9) document supersedes all earlier versions of the XML Schema Guide and the TA Interface Guidelines documents. The Guidelines document has been updated to include the standard list for dog breeds and standard list for infringement section.

Territorial Authority Interface Schema

TA Interface Schema - Version 3.2 (July 2024) .pdf (530k)*
This document describes the NDD Interface Schema for the NDD XML files. The intended audience is suppliers of Dog Control Systems to TAs.

Territorial Authority Interface Schema (.xsd) (30k)
This is the xsd schema that relates to ‘TA Interface Schema - Version 3.0 (April 2005)’.

The ‘Territorial Authority Interface Schema (.xsd)’, uses the eXtensible Name and Address mark-up Language. eXtensible Name and Address mark-up Language (xNAL) is an XML based way of representing names and addresses. The relevant schemas are described below.

xNAL v3.3 - From the New Zealand Name and Address Data Interchange Standard Version 3.3 Interim Release xNAL(nz):

nz-xNL-basic-3_3.xsd (.xsd) (15k)
The Entity Name schema defines a minimum set of reusable types and elements to represent a name of an individual or organisation.

nz-xAL-3_3.xsd (.xsd) (37k)
The Entity Address schema defines a set of reusable types and elements to represent an address, location name or description.

nz-xALformatting-3_3.xsd (.xsd) (4k)
The Entity Address schema defines a structure to contain a mailing address, formatted according to New Zealand custom and postal address rules.

nz-xNL-3_3.xsd (.xsd) (15k)
The Entity Name schema defines a set of reusable types and elements to represent a name of an individual or organisation.

National Dog Database System Glossary

NDD System Glossary - version 5.3 (July 2024) .pdf (90k)*

Territorial Authority Interface Connection Guide

The purpose of this document is to describe the access and use of the NDD SSH interface.

Territorial Authority NDD Interface Connection Guide - Version 1.3 (July 2024) .pdf (277k)*
The TA NDD Interface Connection Guide (V1.3) document supersedes all earlier versions of the NDD Interface Testing Guide and NDD Interface Connection Guide documents. The Guide has been updated to refer to standardised SSH user IDs and host examples.

Territorial Authority Interface Testing Guide

The purpose of this document is to describe the access and use of the interface testing site and provide some background information on the site.

Territorial Authority Interface Testing Guide - Version 1.9 (July 2024) .pdf (860k)*
The TA Interface Testing Guide (V1.9) document supersedes the NDD Interface Testing Usage document. The Guide has been updated to refer to generic SSH user IDs and contact information (from the initial NDD testing phase) that is now no longer relevant has also been removed.

Amended Dog Control and National Dogs Database Regulations

Two Orders in Council (OIC) made under the Dog Control Act 1996 (the Act) commenced on 30 September 2006:

• The Dog Control Amendment Act 2003 Commencement Order 2006 (link to www.legislation.govt.nz) provides for regulations to levy territorial authorities to fund the costs of maintaining the National Dogs Database.

• The Dog Control NDD Levy Order 2006 (link to www.legislation.govt.nz):
  a) lists the levies payable by each territorial authority for 2006/07; and
  b) provides that in subsequent financial years, costs are allocated using the formula previously agreed by Cabinet (a 10% flat fee for all territorial authorities excluding the Chatham Islands, a variable portion of 45% based on the registered dog population in the city/district and a variable portion of 45% based on the human population of the city/district).

The Orders will assist in implementing the Government's dog control policy, and there are no new policy or financial decisions included. The changes to the microchipping provisions of the Dog Control Act made by Parliament have no effect on either of the Orders

Link here to further information on Microchipping and the National Dog Database.


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