The Mauao Trust and Tauranga City Council have condemned fireworks being set off on Mauao last night. Photo / NZME
Two community organisations are outraged after Guy Fawkes fireworks were set off on Mauao, Mount Maunganui’s sacred maunga.
A joint statement from the Mauao Trust and Tauranga City Council said they were “deeply disappointed” by last night’s incident.
They said using fireworks on Mauao was “illegal, dangerous and completely unacceptable”.
There is a permanent fire ban on Mauao – including cigarettes, lighters, fireworks and recreational fires.
A fire on Mauao in January 2016 destroyed about 4000sq m of vegetation.
“Mauao is a sacred and historic reserve, not a place for fireworks,” a Mauao Trust representative said.
“We are outraged and deeply concerned by this incident.
“The 2016 fire caused devastating damage, and we cannot risk that happening again.
“We call on authorities and our community to take this seriously and protect our maunga.”
The reserve is a Special Ecological Area, “home to Tauranga’s richest native biodiversity”.
The statement said everyone has a “responsibility to respect the cultural, historical and ecological significance of Mauao to ensure he remains healthy and continues to support our community into the future”.
“We thank the majority of our community who continue to do the right thing and help protect Mauao.”
Council strategic community relations adviser Laura Thomson-Bache told the Bay of Plenty Times the council did not receive official complaints about the fireworks, but the council’s Mauao ranger was directly informed by people last night.
“We are reviewing footage captured by our Tauranga Transport Operations Centre to identify anyone entering Mauao with obvious fireworks.”
Western Bay of Plenty police area commander Inspector Clifford Paxton said police received several reports of fireworks being let off around the Bay of Plenty last night.
“A report also mentioned fireworks were being let off on Mauao, however, the police did not locate anyone involved," he said.
A message posted on the Mount Maunganui Noticeboard last night by Porina Whetu McLeod thanked “those who may have influenced the desistance of fireworks on Mauao tonight”.
“Torches were seen rushing to the fireworks, and they stopped soon after. Appreciate you, if that was the case.”
An Ōhauiti resident commented on Facebook that they had seen the fireworks going off on Mauao.
“Such disrespect of a very special taonga and so irresponsible to the safety of people near Mauao. Yet another reason to ban the sale of them – people can’t be trusted.”
On the eve of Guy Fawkes, NZ First leader Winston Peters said the party had introduced a member’s bill to ban the public sale and use of fireworks.
Today, Parliament’s Petitions Select Committee was due to hear evidence regarding three petitions calling for a total ban on the public sale of fireworks
Supporters of a ban included the SPCA, the NZ Veterinary Association, Veterinarians for Animal Welfare Aotearoa, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Animates.
Welcome Bay resident John Devery described the noise of fireworks going off in Waitaha Rd on Guy Fawkes night as “insane”.
“It was like World War III, the repeated boom, boom, from about 7.30pm to 10.30pm was much louder than last year … It was like people got far more bang for their buck.”
Devery said he feared for his neighbour’s cows and one neighbour asked him for help after one of her spooked cows started “stampeding” around the farm paddock.
“There was a huge fear that the cow would harm itself. People were letting off fireworks everywhere, some of which were down towards Greerton, Bayfair and Mount Maunganui.”
Devery, who is the co-ordinator of a Waitaha Rd rural support group, said he “100% backed” the NZ First bill.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesman said crews responded to one fireworks-related incident overnight in the Bay of Plenty.
“This involved a scrub fire in Welcome Bay attended by three crews from Greerton and Tauranga stations around 9.40pm. There may be more incidents that come to light once incident reporting is completed.”
Despite the lack of incident reports, he urged people to remain vigilant.
People were urged to visit www.checkitsalright.nz to check the current and upcoming weather conditions in their area to ensure it is safe to light fireworks.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.