Update 7 November 2022
Following successful closures, the Tūpuna Maunga return to normal open hours from today (Monday 7 November).
A security presence will be maintained on Friday 10 and Saturday 11 November as an additional post-Guy Fawkes safety measure.
Originally published 7 October 2022
Aucklanders are being asked again this Guy Fawkes to help the Tūpuna Maunga Authority to protect the 14 ancestral mountains that are precious taonga.
To that end, the Tūpuna Maunga will be closed to the public in the evenings from Wednesday 2 November to Sunday 6 November 2022.
There will be advisory signage, and security staff will patrol the Maunga and explain the closures to the public.
Paul Majurey, Chair of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, says the successful 2020 and 2021 closures were a measure of last resort, but necessary to stop the previous devastating annual fires on the Maunga caused by fireworks.
"The Authority was very pleased there were no fires on the Maunga in 2020 and 2021, and by the support provided by local communities in protecting these iconic landscapes and public health and safety."
The Maunga of Tāmaki Makaurau were important pā settlements. They are wāhi tapu (sacred sites) and for mana whenua are taonga tuku iho (treasures handed down the generations).
Cr Alf Filipaina, Deputy Chair of the Tūpuna Maunga Authority says, "Ngā Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau are among the most important cultural and natural heritage sites anywhere in New Zealand. They are on the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Status and it’s critical that we safeguard them from harm".
Guy Fawkes closures on the Maunga were previously enacted over the 2020 and 2021 period and successfully prevented fires on all the Maunga. This contrasts with the massive fires at Maungarei / Mt Wellington and Maungawhau / Mt Eden on Guy Fawkes night 2019, an enormous blaze caused by fireworks at Te Pane o Mataaho / Te Ara Pueru / Māngere Mountain in December 2019, a fireworks fire on Maungarei / Mt Wellington in April 2020 and yet another at Maungarei / Mt Wellington in September 2020.
If the Authority and the people of Tāmaki Makaurau succeed in keeping the Tūpuna Maunga free of fire over Guy Fawkes 2022, that will make the third consecutive year the Maunga have been saved from fire damage.
Closure dates and times
All the Tūpuna Maunga will be closed from Wednesday 2 to Sunday 6 November 2022, from 7.30pm through to usual gate opening times the following day:
- Matukutūruru / Wiri Mountain
- Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill
- Maungarei / Mount Wellington
- Maungawhau / Mount Eden
- Maungauika / North Head
- Ōwairaka / Te Ahi-kā-a-Rakataura / Mount Albert
- Ōhinerau / Mount Hobson
- Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain
- Ōtāhuhu / Mount Richmond
- Pukewīwī / Puketāpapa / Mount Roskill
- Te Kōpuke / Tītīkōpuke / Mount St John
- Takarunga / Mount Victoria
- Te Pane o Mataaho / Te Ara Pueru / Māngere Mountain
- Te Tātua a Riukiuta / Big King.
Fire damage to Te Pane o Mataoho / Te Ara Pueru / Māngere Mountain, December 2019. Credit: Tūpuna Maunga Authority
Call for government action
The Tūpuna Maunga Authority continues its call for the government to end sales of fireworks to the public.
Paul Majurey says, "Closing the Maunga is not something we prefer. We want those beloved connections between the people of Tāmaki Makaurau and wider afield to always be available to the Tūpuna Maunga. But as long as fireworks are publicly available, we are left with no choice but to restrict access to avoid more massive fires and the enormous damage they cause.
"There have been calls by us, Auckland Council, the SPCA and many other groups around the country for many years to restrict public sales of fireworks. In the hands of a few who lack self-control with reckless behaviours, fireworks have been the cause of immense damage and expense.
"It remains vital that the government puts measures in place that take fireworks out of the hands of those who aren’t capable of using them sensibly, while still allowing the public to enjoy controlled public fireworks displays."
Visit maunga.nz for more information about the Tūpuna Maunga Authority.
