Auckland Council is asking Aucklanders to give their views on whether or not they support a request to government to ban the public sale of fireworks.
The council intends to ask government to ban the public sale of fireworks in response to the related harm and injury to people and animals and the pressure placed on the council, police and emergency and medical services. People would still be able to attend public fireworks displays.
“Auckland Council is concerned about fires, damage, injury or distress to people and animals that can be caused by setting off fireworks in neighbourhood back yards,” says Councillor Linda Cooper, Chair of the Regulatory Committee.
“The public use of fireworks also places pressure on police, fire services and council officers who receive large numbers of complaints in relation to fireworks, especially around Guy Fawkes.”
Changes to Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw
This request comes as part of Auckland Council’s consultation on the proposed changes to the Public Safety and Nuisance Bylaw. This bylaw aims to minimise nuisance and safety risks to people using public places.
“Auckland Council recently checked how well the rules set out in the bylaw are working and identified some improvements,” says Councillor Cooper.
“The proposed changes aim to remove any unnecessary aspects of the bylaw and streamline regulation, so we don’t have multiple rules for one issue.”
Currently the bylaw bans the use of fireworks on public places. This rule is proposed to be retained.
The bylaw also requires that people using fireworks on private property ensure they do not cause a safety risk to people on public property. The review found that this rule is already covered in central government legislation. Council’s noise control officers, police and fire services already have sufficient powers to address issues with fireworks on private property which means that this part of the bylaw is no longer needed.
This change does not affect council’s current response to incidents. The public can still report issues and council will continue to prioritise its response using a graduated response to harm approach.
Have your say now
You now have an opportunity to tell us your views. This consultation is seeking public feedback from now until 5 December.
Have your say events are also being held across the region over the next month.
Make a submission and find out more at the Auckland Council website.
What are bylaws and why do we review them?
- Bylaws are rules made by local councils that affect the way we live, work and play.
- As a statutory requirement, bylaws are reviewed every five to 10 years. This process involves public consultations to make sure our bylaws are useful and reflect what Aucklanders need.
- Some of these bylaws are no longer needed as other legislation has become operative.
