In past years, fireworks have started major fires in hill country. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Fire and Emergency is banning fireworks and sky lanterns in parts of Hawke's Bay and the Queenstown Lakes area from Friday due to high fire risk.
The Hawke's Bay ban starts at 8am, and will continue to the end of March.
Hawke's Bay District Manager Glen Varcoe said Ahuriri-Heretaunga, Wairoa Coast, Tukituki East and West, the southern Hawke's Bay coast, and Pōrangahau were all included.
In all but Pōrangahau, open-air fires were already banned.
Varcoe said it would not come as a surprise, as residents would be aware of the high fire risk around the region.
In past years, fireworks have started major fires in hill country and on the coast.
In late September, three men were arrested after they shot fireworks out of their vehicle window and started large vegetation fires in Hawke's Bay.
Another major blaze in Hawke's Bay earlier in April started as a controlled gorse burning and got out of control.
Recent rain in the region was not enough to counter the otherwise dry conditions.
Fire and Emergency has also banned fireworks in the Queenstown Lakes area until further notice.
It had also restricted open-air fires in the Strath Taieri and Coastal Waitaki - meaning anyone who wants to light one needed a permit.
The restrictions did not change the year-round prohibited fire season in the special risk zones including Ruby Island, Queenstown and Mount Iron.
There were also bans implemented in Central Otago, Naseby and upper Waitaki.
Otago district manager Phil Marsh said in spite of recent rain and forecast rainfall, the district would continue to dry out, resulting in grasses that can easily ignite.
"Fireworks are well known to start fires, especially in areas like Otago where we have mostly grassland valleys, scrubby hillsides and exotic forests.
"Some recent fires in Central Otago and Waitaki became more serious because of high winds - for example old burn piles reigniting, and fires spreading to surrounding vegetation. The wind makes them hard to contain, and it takes longer to make sure they're really out."
Marsh said if anyone planned to light a fire, they should go to checkitsalright.nz first and follow the guidance.
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