Is Guy Fawkes night fading in New Zealand?

This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.

Palmerston North is the only city that has a free public display of fireworks on Guy Fawkes night, November 5 this year, with many other venues either leaving them all together or holding paid events on other days during November.

Christchurch is the latest major center to decide that it will no longer hold a fireworks display to mark Guy Fawkes Day. For the past 23 years, the Christchurch City Council has held a public display on Guy Fawkes Day or in recent years on the weekend closest to November 5.

Auckland City Council does not hold a Guy Fawkes fireworks show, and in 2017 Wellington dropped its Guy Fawkes fireworks show in favor of Matariki.

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Christchurch City Council Arts and Events Manager Tanya Cokojic says the council was planning the November fireworks display this year when the Covid-19 shutdown was underway and after consulting with the public, it was made the decision to hold the fireworks event. in July as a celebration of Matariki.

Cokojic said he feels Guy Fawkes is becoming increasingly irrelevant in New Zealand.

“New Zealand is now more ready to celebrate our own culture and have something that is unique to us. A lot of those large-scale fireworks events will move away from November 5 and will no longer be known as Guy Fawkes and I think that identifies that we want something that belongs to us and that is exclusive to us and our culture. “

He said the private use of fireworks in and around Guy Fawkes is a concern, but is asking people to follow Fire and Emergency’s safety advice.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand National Fire Risk Management Advisor Todd O’Donoghue says his organization would prefer people to attend public events rather than put on their own fireworks display.

“They’re basically a safer way to see fireworks and you get better value for what you see. Sadly, there have never been enough public displays for the entire country, they have always tended to be spotty in places and we are seeing a move by some councils to move their community-funded public exhibits to other times of the year. “

He said that with free public displays of top tips, people may need to look further.

He said, for example, that people from Christchurch could go to Motukarara on November 7.

Palmerston North is a place where there will be a free fireworks display on Guy Fawkes Day.

Ian Roberts has been the coordinator of the Kairanga Lions Club fireworks displays for the past 30 years, and for the past five years they have held a fireworks display for Palmerston North for the city council.

He said that based on past entries, there is certainly still interest in public fireworks displays.

“We have no way of counting the numbers, but the streets are blocked for about two hours afterwards, and we need a traffic management plan to manage congestion that indicates that a lot of people will come to see it.”

This year the council has reduced funding for the event from $ 20,000 to $ 15,000 and the Kairanga Lions Club is trying to fill the shortfall with a Givealittle page.

Roberts said safety is his number one priority, and it was obvious that public events are safer than holding multiple private events in people’s backyards.

He describes himself as a fan of fireworks, but said that he is not committed to keeping November the time of year for fireworks in New Zealand, and that he would be very happy to put on a fireworks show for Matariki.

“There really is no logic in having a celebration to commemorate a guy who tried to blow up the British Parliament in the umpteenth century.”

O’Donoghue has some tips for those who are determined to set up their own fireworks.

Their advice is to read the directions with a torch before lighting fireworks, keep extinguished fireworks in original packaging until ready to light, and have adults light them in a clear, open area away from anything that could catch fire. .

He also recommends wetting the area with a hose beforehand and having a hose or bucket of water handy.

This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and republished with permission.