Hawke’s Bay restricted fire season begins as Waipawa burnoff spreads

The fire near Waipawa in Central Hawke's Bay today as seen from State Highway 2.

*An earlier version of this story stated a helicopter was helping to fight the Waipawa blaze. One was on standby, but was not used.

A burnoff that spread rapidly near the town of Waipawa today began 30 minutes before a restricted fire season came into force in Hawke’s Bay.

A restricted fire season, in force from noon today, means a permit from Fire and Emergency New Zealand is required to light a fire in the open air.

Fireworks are still permitted under restricted fire seasons, meaning private Guy Fawkes celebrations can proceed on Wednesday with caution.

A controlled burnoff spread rapidly on Tapairu Rd near Waipawa about 11.30am.

The fire jumped the rail line and came near State Highway 2, spreading across quite a large area, a Fire and Emergency spokesperson said.

An NZTA spokesperson advised motorists to expect delays heading into Waipawa on State Highway 2 while crews battled the fires.

Four fire crews and four tankers were fighting the blaze at 1pm.

It was not threatening any structures or buildings, the spokesperson said.

Areas now in a restricted fire season run from just south of Wairoa to the Tararua District.

These areas are Esk-Tutaekuri, to the north and east of Napier; Ahuriri-Heretaunga, which encompasses both Napier and Hastings cities; Tukituki West and Tukituki East, which run along the Ruahine Ranges and encompass Waipawa and Waipukurau; and the southern Hawke’s Bay coast, which runs from Haumoana south to Pōrangahau, which is also a restricted fire area.

Hawke’s Bay community risk manager Nigel Hall said the area was experiencing warm, windy weather, with little rainfall expected over the next month.

“Last month alone, we saw 37 vegetation fires across the Hawke’s Bay District escaping from old burn piles, driven by wind.

“The slightest spark in windy, hot conditions can cause a fire that will spread very quickly in areas that are already extremely dry for this time of year.”

Hall said anyone who had burned vegetation at any time in the past few months should check that the fire is completely extinguished.

“Spread it out and extinguish completely with water,” he said.

“We expect anyone planning on lighting a fire to have a permit if they are in the restricted fire zone.”

MetService meteorologist John Law said the dry conditions and high temperatures Hawke’s Bay had been enjoying could turn dangerous if there’s any breeze at all.

“In terms of our rain totals, it’s been dry and will stay pretty dry, at least for the rest of this week.

“Those are all conditions that can make wildfires really dangerous.”

Jack Riddell has been a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today since 2024 and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.