Promoters blame Auckland Council red tape for cancellation of public Guy Fawkes displays

Friday, 3 November 2017

Rule-maker Auckland Council recommends but won't fund firework displays that draw thousands.

Auckland will have almost no public fireworks displays this year, leaving people to turn to backyard Guy Fawkes shows - the opposite of what safety campaigners want.

Disgruntled promoters who have axed public displays blame Auckland Council for snuffing out shows with health and safety red tape.

Promoter Greg Mosen claims a 30 metre height limit on exploding fireworks set by RFA makes the show too dangerous to hold but Auckland Council disputes this.

One organiser slammed the council rules as 'just too onerous,' prompting him to can his public fireworks display.

However, the council denies it's responsible for the perceived death of public Guy Fawkes shows.

Back yard fireworks are responsible for scores of Guy Fawkes night fire call outs around Auckland.

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John Minchinton said his dog Padfoot died from a heart attack induced by people letting-off bought fireworks.

The latest display to be cancelled is the popular and long-running event at Western Springs.

Promoter Greg Mosen said despite selling 1000 tickets and expecting 10,000 to turn up he was forced to cancel the show just days out from the planned show.

This photo shows the lengths a large, panicked dog went to to escape indoors from fireworks, demolishing a cat door in the process.

Paul Nisbet, the council's Director of Auckland Stadiums disputes that the council was at fault and said approval had already been given.

But Mosen said the approval was so tied up with conditions and restrictions it made it impossible to hold the show and the council is to blame for the axing of the show.

The Western Springs dispute follows the cancellation of another popular community fireworks show in south Auckland.

For 20 years the Papakura Lions have hosted a show attracting thousands. But the two-decade tradition is set to end after the council local board refused to fund it this year.

Lions spokesman and event organiser Chris Lynch said it could be the death knell for the show.

Again the council disputes it was at fault, with the board claiming it just wanted the show moved from the spacious Massey Park where it has been held successfully in the past into an undisclosed 'town centre' location.

The end result however was no fireworks display.

Auckland Council has a policy recommending public displays, but won't fund them, instead leaving it to cash-strapped local boards to decide.

'ONEROUS' RULES

A veteran fireworks provider that does not wish to be named because he fears the council will punish his business said firework companies are often caught between public expectations and council regulations.

'Limitations are just too onerous to provide a good firework display.

'We want to work with both parties, but between them we can't meet what promoters and the public expects from firework displays and what council rules and regulations allow,' the provider said.

Firework display companies have experienced a 'levelling-off' in demand for Guy Fawkes displays partly as a result of tougher health and safety rules.

Auckland Council events manager David Burt said so far in 2017, the council granted permits to nine events involving firework use. That compared to 16 in 2016.

No figures are kept on how many event permits are declined, he said.

PUBLIC DISPLAY, PRIVATE BENEFIT

The lack of public displays flies in the face of expert and public opinion.

A Neighbourly.co.nz poll revealed 75 per cent of west Aucklanders surveyed were against the sale of fireworks and people should go to public displays instead.

Wattle Downs resident John Minchinton, whose dog Padfoot died from stress induced by private firework use is 'all for public displays'.

Two weeks of sustained, impromptu fireworks use near his south Auckland home induced a heart attack for his much-loved dog, he said.

Minchinton said people would be less inclined to let off fireworks at home if they have a planned public displays to attend.

New Zealand Veterinary Association chief veterinary officer Dr Helen Beattie said keeping pets safe by bringing them indoors is 'much more simple to manage' if owners can plan around notified public firework displays.

'These animals are beside themselves with fear,' when fireworks go off, Beattie said.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand Auckland Central Assistant Area Commander Glenn Menzies said the service prefers organised public Guy Fawkes displays over private.

As opposed to letting off fireworks in people's back yards, public displays are a 'safe, controlled environment' to enjoy fireworks, Menzies said.

Despite public safety education efforts including advising people to not mix fireworks and alcohol and keep pets indoors, every year a 'small group of people let everyone down' behaving irresponsibly with store-bought fireworks, he said.

The fire service considers November's Guy Fawkes period a safer time to hold displays than dryer, warmer Christmas and New Year events.