May 4, 2026
Appropriate safety steps or council overreach?
Proposed new rules to introduce a ban on unsanctioned open fires and firework displays on council land sparked hot debate among Ashburton District councillors on Tuesday.
The draft Open Spaces Bylaw would introduce a ban on open fires and tougher requirements for getting permission for firework events.
Deputy Mayor Wilson said it was council overreach and all it was doing was “adding another layer of bureaucracy”.
He said he was concerned it would be the end of public bonfires and fireworks displays.
Senior policy advisor Richard Mabon said people can apply to have an open fire for a specific event or a fireworks display, which will need approval from Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ).
Wilson said it was making holding community events “too onerous,” adding the council approval to the process.
“Everybody's that risk-averse that they'll make it so difficult, and there must be fees involved to do this sort of stuff.
“So eventually it becomes a point if you're trying to run a local thing, you won't be able to do it.”
Community and open spaces Toni Durham said it is part of the council’s community event application process.
Wilson suggested granting reserve board’s the discretion to grant open fires “in the interest of reducing bureaucracy” for local communities.
Durham said the events were on council land and it's too much to put “the onus of responsibility on volunteers on a reserve board to ensure all the checks and balances are done".
“It may seem that it's onerous, it is actually around the bearer of the most responsibility should ultimately be council.”
It also raised questions around an iconic kiwi past-time of a driftwood fire on the beach, with only areas at Ashton Beach and Wakanui Beach under the council’s jurisdiction, and the rest falls under Environment Canterbury - with the Ashburton District stretching from the Rakaia River to the Rangitata River.
Mabon said that generally councils and DOC “have a position that prohibits burning unless expressly authorised and subject to the overarching control of FENZ”.
“Those are almost identical to the words in this bylaw.”
Cr Russell Ellis described it as “one of those weird ones that you're going to have a rule, but I don't know how it's ever going to be enforced”.
Mabon said that having the provision in the bylaw enables taking action against any person who lights a fire that causes a problem.
Cr Deb Gilkison supported the open fire ban being included.
“I don't think it's appropriate to be lighting fires on reserves without permission, as long as they can still get permission for these other kinds of events.
The bylaw also proposes introducing a rule allowing organised fireworks displays in reserves, subject to council and FENZ approval.
Clarification was needed that the bylaw allowed for organised events, through the community event application process, or people can hold an event on private land, but people can’t use fireworks on council land without prior permission.
Cr Phill Hooper preferred the organised and approved event process to “people just rocking up to the domain and letting off fireworks willy-nilly”.
Following Tuesday’s deliberations, a revised Open Spaces Bylaw will come back to the council for adoption in May.
By Jonathan Leask
Appropriate safety steps or council overreach?
Proposed new rules to introduce a ban on unsanctioned open fires and firework displays on council land sparked hot debate among Ashburton District councillors on Tuesday.
The draft Open Spaces Bylaw would introduce a ban on open fires and tougher requirements for getting permission for firework events.
Deputy Mayor Wilson said it was council overreach and all it was doing was “adding another layer of bureaucracy”.
He said he was concerned it would be the end of public bonfires and fireworks displays.
Senior policy advisor Richard Mabon said people can apply to have an open fire for a specific event or a fireworks display, which will need approval from Fire and Emergency NZ (FENZ).
Wilson said it was making holding community events “too onerous,” adding the council approval to the process.
“Everybody's that risk-averse that they'll make it so difficult, and there must be fees involved to do this sort of stuff.
“So eventually it becomes a point if you're trying to run a local thing, you won't be able to do it.”
Community and open spaces Toni Durham said it is part of the council’s community event application process.
Wilson suggested granting reserve board’s the discretion to grant open fires “in the interest of reducing bureaucracy” for local communities.
Durham said the events were on council land and it's too much to put “the onus of responsibility on volunteers on a reserve board to ensure all the checks and balances are done".
“It may seem that it's onerous, it is actually around the bearer of the most responsibility should ultimately be council.”
It also raised questions around an iconic kiwi past-time of a driftwood fire on the beach, with only areas at Ashton Beach and Wakanui Beach under the council’s jurisdiction, and the rest falls under Environment Canterbury - with the Ashburton District stretching from the Rakaia River to the Rangitata River.
Mabon said that generally councils and DOC “have a position that prohibits burning unless expressly authorised and subject to the overarching control of FENZ”.
“Those are almost identical to the words in this bylaw.”
Cr Russell Ellis described it as “one of those weird ones that you're going to have a rule, but I don't know how it's ever going to be enforced”.
Mabon said that having the provision in the bylaw enables taking action against any person who lights a fire that causes a problem.
Cr Deb Gilkison supported the open fire ban being included.
“I don't think it's appropriate to be lighting fires on reserves without permission, as long as they can still get permission for these other kinds of events.
The bylaw also proposes introducing a rule allowing organised fireworks displays in reserves, subject to council and FENZ approval.
Clarification was needed that the bylaw allowed for organised events, through the community event application process, or people can hold an event on private land, but people can’t use fireworks on council land without prior permission.
Cr Phill Hooper preferred the organised and approved event process to “people just rocking up to the domain and letting off fireworks willy-nilly”.
Following Tuesday’s deliberations, a revised Open Spaces Bylaw will come back to the council for adoption in May.
By Jonathan Leask
