Many think fireworks should be banned from home use, according to an AA survey. Photo: 123rf
Guy Fawkes is upon us, but not everyone seems to be fizzing.
Fireworks went on sale on Thursday, 2 November, and can only sold for four days leading up to and including Guy Fawkes on 5 November.
But a recent survey by AA Insurance found that the majority of Kiwis think fireworks should be banned in our backyards.
Fifty-three percent of those surveyed wanted a ban on recreational use, while an additional 20 percent wanted to see fireworks banned all together.
It was a message that was echoed by those on the street in Wellington.
"I'd rather go to a fireworks display," one told RNZ.
"I like fireworks displays, but at home I think it's dangerous," said another.
This year there was no public display in Wellington, Auckland or Christchurch city centres, although there were in other places around the country.
In Auckland all 14 ancestral mountains have been closed in the lead-up to Guy Fawkes to protect them from fire damage. It was the fourth consecutive year the maunga were closed to the public, after fires caused by fireworks broke out in 2019 and 2020.
Councillor Josephine Bartley said people could be very irresponsible with fireworks.
"I live near Maungarei / Mount Wellington, and every year the mountain is on fire because people are firing their fireworks off the top of the mountain or nearby into the vegetation on the mountain."
Bartley said the council had agreed in the past to support a ban on the private sale and use of fireworks, but they had not been able to get traction from the government at the time.
SPCA scientific officer Dr Alison Vaughan said it was a ban they had also long advocated for.
She said fireworks could cause distress among household pets, farm animals and wildlife such as our native birds, who were often nesting during Guy Fawkes.
Vaughan said the SPCA recommended people attend public displays as they were usually well publicised in advance.
"This means pet parents can take steps to prepare and make sure their animals are safe."
She said one of the frustrations for the SPCA was that while the sale of fireworks were limited to a few days, there were not the same restrictions on when they could be used.
Fire and Emergency community education manager Adrian Nacey was also concerned about stockpiling.
"We know people buy fireworks at Guy Fawkes and store them away to light over the summer months - last year we had several fires caused over the New Year period from fireworks.
"We urge people not to stockpile fireworks this Guy Fawkes - particularly with the approaching El Niño weather conditions that could lead to hotter, drier and windier conditions in many parts of Aotearoa."
Nacey said the weather forecast for Guy Fawkes weekend was mixed, and people needed to check the conditions before they set their fireworks alight.
"We are concerned by the risk fireworks pose especially during windy, dry conditions."
For those setting off fireworks, Nacey recommended setting them off in a flat wide space away from anything that could catch fire and then soaking them in water before disposing of them.
