Fireworks anger as peaks burn
Ma¯ori authority slams revellers who ignored a clearly signposted ban
Auckland’s volcanic peaks will be closed to the public on future Guy Fawkes for as long as fireworks can still be sold to the public.
The decision from the Ma¯ori authority that protects the maunga comes after two huge blazes on Mt Eden (Maungawhau) and Mt Wellington (Maungarei) on Guy Fawkes night, both thought to have been started by fireworks.
The fires were among 88 fireworks-related calls on Tuesday night, up more than 30 on last year, Fire and Emergency New Zealand said. Since fireworks went on sale on November 2 there had been 135 incidents.
Auckland’s volcanic peaks are owned and co-governed by the Tu¯puna Maunga Authority on behalf of the 13 iwi and hapu¯ of Ta¯maki Makaurau, and are considered sacred. Authority chair Paul Majurey slammed revellers who ignored a clearly signposted ban on lighting fireworks on the peaks, saying the fires were the last straw.
“Fireworks have been banned on the 14 maunga administered by the authority since it established in 2014 following the landmark Ta¯maki Collective Treaty settlement,” Majurey said. “However, since then there have been repeated fires on the maunga at Guy Fawkes as a result of some members of the public who are unable to resist placing personal fun over public safety.”
The Mt Wellington blaze was significant, with multiple crews working to extinguish a 200m by 100m inferno on the north side of the mountain.
Enormous plumes of smoke could be seen across the clear sky late Tuesday night and smoke could be smelled across the city before the fire was fully extinguished about 2am.
There was no road access, so firefighters were forced to roll out “hundreds of metres” of hose, while a helicopter could be seen circling above.
Another blaze in the crater of Mt Eden was also put out by about 2am, four hours after firefighters were called. A man who walked up Mt Eden to watch fireworks in the city said the fire was “50 metres wide and growing” when fire trucks arrived.
Further south, there were eight call-outs in Christchurch, including a fire that destroyed a hedge on Blue Stone Drive in Parklands.
A public fireworks display in Palmerston North also went wrong, sparking a scrub fire in Anzac Park. The huge fire started shortly after the annual fireworks display began above the Manawatu¯ River and spread to 50m x 70m. At least five appliances attended to extinguish the blaze.
FENZ expressed frustration and disappointment that people weren’t getting the fire safety message, and reissued warnings ahead of this weekend when the sky is expected to light up with fireworks once again.
“We had hoped with more information out there we would continue to see a decrease in incidents compared to previous years,” national adviser of fire risk management Peter Gallagher said. Auckland and Northland was the busiest region with 49 callouts as of 5.30am yesterday, he said. However, the South Island saw only eight fireworksrelated callouts.
Hawke’s Bay saw fewer fireworks incidents than previous years — possibly because hundreds of people were at the beach watching a giant wooden fish go up in flames.
The 8.5m x 4m sculpture, designed and built by Isaac McCormick and his mates, was consumed by fire at Te Awanga. It was intended as a slightly political point, McCormick said. “We just wanted to put a little light on the issues of our oceans and keeping them clean.”
Last year the group built and burnt a giant cow in a gentle dig at Fonterra.
Meanwhile, the SPCA had heard numerous stories of terrified animals due to the fireworks — some pets had run away while others were missing.
Even Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern weighed in, likening the noise in Balmoral in Auckland to a war zone. She told media she would raise concerns with local councils.
“I’m just increasingly mindful of kids sleeping and of animals; but at the same time, clearly a lot of people love it.” However she told Newstalk ZB that changing fireworks rules was not on the Government’s agenda.