Fire and Emergency New Zealand has revoked the restrictions on lighting outdoor fires in Wairarapa’s southern coastal area until further notice.

From 8am Monday 3 February, all of Wairarapa will be in an open fire season, which means people can light outdoor fires without a permit approved by Fire and Emergency.

Wellington District Manager Brett Lockyer says that wetter, less windy conditions have slowed the rapid drying of vegetation such as pasture grasses, coastal dune grasses, gorse, scrub, and pine forests.

"The fire risk has come back down because any fires that get started or escape controlled burns will be slower-moving and easier to control," he says.

"While you don’t need fire permits in an open season, we do still ask people to take sensible precautions when lighting fires.

"There’s excellent fire safety advice at checkitsalright.nz, which will also tell you if it’s safe to have an outdoor fire at your location.

"We’re really pleased to report that there haven’t been any large fires in Wairarapa so far this summer, and this is down to people being fire smart and doing the right thing."

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