Northland’s biggest fires in three years: How much did they cost?

A firefighting crew take a break from extinguishing a bushfire at Waiharara in January 2022 - a job that cost more than $9m. Photo / Joel Cleaver

A Whangārei Heads fire in January cost Fire and Emergency $201,344 - but it’s far from the most expensive Northland blaze.

Numbers released to the Northern Advocate under the Official Information Act also reveal no fines or prosecutions have been issued for any of Northland’s five most expensive fires each year since 2022.

Yet some of the most devastating were likely deliberate - such as the 400-ha Cape Reinga fire in 2023.

Fire and Emergency NZ is almost entirely funded through a levy on insurance contracts, where motorists or property owners are insured against the risk of a fire.

Last year in a cost-recovery statement, they requested a levy rise to help cover costs.

The organisation currently has a policy of leaving $50m in reserve, with $15m of that in case of a bushfire which goes on for several days.

There is also a formal agreement in place with the Department of Conservation to claim costs when fires start on DoC land.

Two of those fires were the Cape Reinga fire in 2023 and Lake Ohia in 2022.

The Cape Reinga fire cost $1,243,183 with $923,399 of that going toward aerial services alone.

Meanwhile, the Lake Ohia fire on Tahanga Road, which spread quickly and was considered suspicious, cost $335,806.

The most expensive fire since 2022 was at Waiharara - also known as the Kaimaumau fire - which cost Fire and Emergency $9,140,020.

The Kaimaumau wetland was Northland’s largest surviving wetland and an important habitat for threatened species such as geckos, native orchids and birds.

At the time, Forest and Bird Northland conservation manager Dean Baigent-Mercer called the fire “a tragedy on a national scale”.

Hire of aerial services came in at the most expensive cost at $4,677,970, meanwhile, $2,191,154 was spent on external firefighting services.

External firefighting services are not employed by Fire and Emergency.

These include forestry companies or DoC personnel and operators of heavy equipment such as water tankers and diggers.

According to a spokesperson, Fire and Emergency does not have the ability to recover costs which are met from the operating budget.

“Compliance with fire safety regulations is essential, particularly in areas under a prohibited or restricted fire season where lighting fires in the open air is not permitted.

“While most people adhere to these requirements, clear breaches of fire safety legislation carry penalties.

“We take an education-first approach to fire safety and prosecution is not our first option when keeping New Zealand’s communities safe from fire.”

Last year was the least expensive for fire costs since 2022, with the blaze at Scotty’s Camp in Dargaville taking the top spot at more than $1m.

External firefighting services were the most costly element, at $647,565.

Meanwhile, this year got off to a hot start when a blaze started at Whangārei Heads was later revealed to have been caused by an out-of-control rubbish fire.

Helicopters with monsoon buckets fought a large Whangārei Heads scrub fire which has now been revealed to have cost $201,344. Photo / Rachel Maher

Of the $201,344 cost, the most expensive element was the aerial services.

They alone reached more than $134,840.

Some residents were evacuated and the level of smoke caused flights at nearby Onerahi to be grounded.

The blaze burned through 20ha. Forty ground crew as well as two helicopters battled the fire.

More recently the Waipoua River fire saw about 20 homes evacuated as the blaze - also an out-of-control rubbish fire - burned through 100ha.

The fire was fought over seven days and required Fire and Emergency personnel, helicopters, water tankers and forestry crews.

More recently about 50 firefighters battled an 11ha scrub fire near Mangakahia on March 7.

It came just hours after a drought was declared for Northland and a complete fire ban was placed.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.