A Kaikohe woman has been fined about $600 and banned from owning a dog for five years after chaining one up and starving it to death.
Nadia Tauteka, 37, was convicted of failing to meet the dog's needs for food, water and treatment to relieve its pain.
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) inspectors found the dog dead at a house Tauteka had left early this month.
She told the SPCA she had picked the dog up from the side of the road and kept it chained until it died, claiming she did not have time to seek help for it.
Tauteka was also sentenced to 150 hours' community service.