New Zealand First leader Winston Peters believes owners of dogs that commit fatal attacks should be charged with manslaughter, claiming they are “facilitating murder”.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Act Party leader David Seymour didn’t go as far as Peters but indicated they could support tougher penalties for owners of attacking dogs.

Mihiata Te Rore, 62, was fatally injured during an attack at a property in her hometown of Kaihu, near Kaipara’s west coast. Emergency services were called to the property on State Highway 12 in Kaihu at 11.25am, but police found Te Rore dead.

A family member, who did not want to be named, told the Northern Advocate yesterday’s attack was “tragic”.

They briefly spoke, saying the family was grieving, and asked the community to keep the whānau in their thoughts and prayers.

Asked about the attack, Peters agreed owners of dogs that attacked people should face harsher penalties.

“This is facilitating murder, it’s appalling.”

He believed it was equal to manslaughter.

“If somebody’s been killed because of it, there should be the same penalties.”

Police attend the scene of a dog attack in Northland. Photo / Jason Dorday

Luxon said he wasn’t sure whether he agreed with Peters, but reinforced how he viewed yesterday’s attack as “unacceptable”.

“Owners have to take personal responsibility, absolutely, they are responsible for their dog, they need to control their dogs.

“It’s unacceptable that they don’t, and they should be held personally responsible.”

Luxon said he would be meeting with Local Government New Zealand and expected the entity would speak with all mayors about the issue.

“In the first instance, I would expect within seven days that the Kaipara District Council is taking action and going after the packs of dogs that are out there.”

He left the door open for central government intervention: “We are happy to look at anything further we need to do as well.”

Seymour said he was “very sympathetic” to the prospect of harsher penalties.

“I think there’s a good case that if your dog does serious harm to someone, then how is that different from hurting them in other ways with other things?”

Seymour acknowledged there was “logic” to Peters’ comments concerning manslaughter charges but refrained from endorsing it completely.

“When you start messing around with criminal law, you do want to think very, very carefully. I wouldn’t want to make that up in a media interview.”

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.