Council welcomes controls on fireworks

Fireworks have joined alcohol and cigarettes with 18 years now the legal age for purchase.

Auckland City Council's Economic Development and Sustainable Business Committee has welcomed new government controls on fireworks including reducing their sale period from 10 to 4 days.

Both these restrictions had been included in committee recommendations made earlier to the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) and the Hon Judith Tizard, Minister for Auckland Issues, calling for tighter controls.

The new controls became effective on 2 August.

They include a ban on separate sales of sparklers, which must now be restricted to larger packs of fireworks. This is to reduce the "sparkler bomb" attacks that occurred last year.

The committee had also asked for the explosive effects of fireworks to be reduced. The MfE and the Environmental Risk Management Agency (ERMA) are still reviewing this but no action will be ready in time for this year's Guy Fawkes' celebrations.

Committee chairperson Councillor Richard Northey said the new restrictions would significantly reduce the chance of fireworks being misused without the undesirability of a total ban.

This year, fireworks will be on sale 2-5 November inclusive.