Fireworks have been banned in two holiday hotspots this summer, in a just-announced month-long prohibition.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand says a ban on fireworks is now in force in the Coromandel and will remain in place until January 30.

Additionally, the fire service has also introduced a short-term prohibition on the use of private fireworks in Central Otago, Queenstown Lakes and Upper Waitaki areas, which will come into effect at 8am tomorrow and remain in force until further notice.

Waikato district manager Daryl Trim said consistently warm and windy days had dried out vegetation in the area, meaning the fire risk across the Waikato’s Coromandel zone was high.

“The vegetation in this area is mainly scrub, which is very quick to burn when dry,

“It only takes one spark from a firework for a devastating wildfire to start,” he says.

Fireworks at Nexia Blast in the Park 2025 at Anderson Park, Havelock North on Friday November 7, 2025. Photo / Richard Brimer

In the past fortnight, fires in Pāuanui and Port Jackson were caused by fireworks. On December 6, fire crews were called to a fire at a kiwifruit orchard in Pāuanui that started just before midnight and quickly grew to a size of 50m by 50m, burning through multiple trees on the property.

Enforced under Section 52 of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act, the moratorium applies to the private use of fireworks. Approved public displays will go ahead.

The fire service is imploring holidaymakers visiting the popular vacation destination to play a part in protecting “this beautiful part of our country”.

“As visitors arrive to spend their summer holidays in the Coromandel, the area will see an increase of about 80,000 people. We want to make sure everybody knows to enjoy our public fireworks displays instead of lighting their own” says Trim.

The Coromandel Zone, covered by the ban, is already in a restricted fire season which requires a permit approved by Fire and Emergency for most open-air fires.

In New Zealand, firework sales are restricted to four days from November 2 to 5 each year – but there are growing calls to scrap them.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand’s readiness and recovery national manager, Adrian Nacey, told The Front Page in November that a significant fire in Pegasus, North Canterbury, in November 2022, is a prime example of how things can get out of control.

“Fireworks were set off at the beach there, got into the pine plantation, and got out of control.

“That burnt for around 200 hectares of pine forest and also some native regenerating forests that the local community had planted. We had to evacuate the community in the middle of the night, putting people into evacuation centres, evacuating people from the campground, and a horse stud.

“That fire took us five days to put out, and that one cost over $400,000 for us to deal with.”