Watch the Christmas barbie, hāngī, umu or lovo; Hawke’s Bay heightened fire risk remains

Christmas Day hāngī or barbies remain on the table amid the heightened fire risks and restrictions in Hawke’s Bay, as long as the chefs and helpers follow some rules.

Public barbecue facilities provided by the Napier City Council on the Marine Parade foreshore. Photo / Doug Laing

Fire and Emergency NZ Hawke’s Bay regional commander Glen Varcoe confirmed on Tuesday (Christmas Eve) that the restrictions in Hawke’s Bay, including prohibition of fires in the open in much of the region, remained in place.

While the fire risk escalated when temperatures soared well past 30C in early December, there has been rain in the past week.

Nationwide weather agency MetService was forecasting fine weather for Hawke’s Bay on Christmas Day, with temperatures up to 26C. Rain was forecast for much of the rest of New Zealand, and some showers were being forecast for parts of Hawke’s Bay on Boxing Day.

Permits are not needed for “cultural” cooking such as hāngī, or Pacific practices such as umu or lovo, or charcoal or gas barbecues in proper stands or ranges.

Varcoe said in all situations the rules were the same: Keep the flames well away from anything else ignitable, do not leave the fire unattended, have means of extinguishment at the ready just in case, and extinguish thoroughly with water on burned wood and embers after the job is done.

In the case of hāngī, umu and lovo, they must be less than 4sq m and must be not less than 5m from the nearest building, hedge or anything else that can catch fire.

No open-fire barbecues are allowed in the prohibited areas, and permits are needed in restricted areas.

“We are still taking a cautious approach to ensure everyone has a quiet and safe Christmas and New Year,” Varcoe said.

“Conditions aren’t as bad after the rain in the district, but people need to still be aware of the fire danger that still exists.”

“A few good, hot days we will quickly be back to where we were a couple of weeks back,” he said, adding that anyone with any doubts should check local information at www.checkitsalright.nz

Much of Hawke’s Bay had experienced about five months of below-average rainfall - in some places much less than half the average rainfall for the months, raising drought fears in the rural community.

The fire risks increased sharply three to four weeks ago as temperatures in the Napier-Hastings area hit a peak of 33.7C in Napier on December 5.

They were highlighted when a grass fire, apparently ignited near the side of Tukituki Rd south of Haumoana, raced up a paddock to the garden boundaries of a homestead two days earlier.

Rain has fallen throughout Hawke’s Bay in the past week and, while totals of more than 300mm were recorded in traditionally wet sites in the ranges and hills, and over 200mm at Wairoa River recording stations at Marumaru and the Wairoa Railway Bridge, the rainfall in some areas was minimal.

Doug Laing is a senior reporter based in Napier with Hawke’s Bay Today, and has 51 years of journalism experience, 41 of them in Hawke’s Bay, in news gathering, including breaking news, sports, local events, issues, and personalities.