A fireworks display planned for Nelson's Opera in Park today has been canned due to the fire risk.
The Opera in the Park music director Pete Rainey says the event being held at Trafalgar Park is primarily about the music, with enough explosive talent in the line-up to keep people happy. Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
The New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and singer Tami Neilson are the headlining acts at the event in Nelson's Trafalgar Park, which was due to end with a fireworks display.
Combat Pyrotechnics had been granted a permit from Fire and Emergency New Zealand for the display prior to a fireworks ban being put in place.
Many of Nelson's reserves have also been closed due to the increasing fire risk.
Since the ban was put in place Combat Pyrotechnics had applied for an exemption to the fireworks ban, outlining precautionary measures for the display, and this was being considered by FENZ.
The Nelson City Council's group manager Community Services, Roger Ball, said the council feels the display would not be in line with the precautions being taken elsewhere, and has decided the display should not go ahead.
"This was obviously a hard decision to make, but we can't ask Nelsonians to be vigilant about fire risk, without also being as responsible as possible ourselves," said Roger Ball.
The council said it was now working with Combat Pyrotechnics to repurpose some, if not all, of the fireworks for the council-supported Matariki mid year.
The Opera in the Park music director Pete Rainey said the event is primarily about the music, and there was enough explosive talent in the line-up to keep people happy.
