Auckland Council’s Governing Body has agreed to proceed with a request to Government to introduce legislation to ban the private sale and use of fireworks after overwhelming support from Aucklanders.
Public feedback, between October and December 2018, showed that 89 per cent of the 7,997 submissions received supported a ban on the sale of fireworks to the general public for private use.
Councillors Cathy Casey and Fa’anana Efeso Collins have now been delegated to take the matter to Ministers and members of parliament for consideration.
Mayor Phil Goff said that the support by Aucklanders for banning private sales of fireworks was overwhelming and predominantly related to the impact of fireworks on pets and farm animals.
“There has been a clear shift in public opinion with many people now preferring public fireworks displays that mark New Year, Matariki, Chinese New Year and Diwali to private sales.
“While the Government has said that it is not at this point ready to ban private sales, it is important that we share this insight into how Aucklanders feel about the issue and encourage Government to include this in their considerations,” said Phil Goff.
Councilor Cathy Casey says the time is now to ban the private sale of fireworks.
“Year-round, fireworks cause unnecessary distress and injury to people, animals, birds and livestock and misuse of fireworks puts huge pressure on emergency services through unnecessary fires, property damage and injuries.”
“We need to protect our people from harm. The emergency services support this and the council already says no to fireworks in public places such as our parks and beaches, but we have no jurisdiction over private places.
“A ban will significantly reduce the number of bylaw complaints about the setting off of fireworks on private property received by Council, significantly reducing the demand for council resources.”
Councillor Fa’anana Efeso Collins says that local government has a role to play in encouraging more free and safe public firework displays.
“Our communities love coming together to celebrate and Auckland Council has a role in providing for more events for communities to celebrate and enjoy all kinds of events and festivals.”
“Public displays mean the spectacle of fireworks can be enjoyed by everyone while families and pets are kept safe.”
Key themes from public feedback showed there were concerns for the safety of people and animals (68%), the amount of noise (35%), the stockpiling and use of fireworks after Guy Fawkes night (27%) and a preference for public fireworks display only (23%).
A summary of the public feedback is available here.
