Nelson Region Fire Risk

Updated: 15 January 2023

Orange: High – the grass is almost completely dry and there is an elevated risk of a fire starting. Fire risk signage is installed at the entrances to our main reserves and people are advised to familiarise themselves with the Stay Safe messaging, and the reserve exit points and clear zones.

Long, hot, summer means the risk of fire increases for Nelson

NIWA is forecasting a long, hot, dry summer, with heightened risk of drought and fire danger.

While Fire and Emergency New Zealand take the lead on preparedness and community engagement during fire season, Nelson City Council is always looking at ways to reduce the fire risk on Council land.

Council owns around 10 000ha of reserve land and our goal for all our reserves is to be as low fire-risk as possible. Clearing dry vegetation along reserve boundaries and grazing sheep are key ongoing strategies, along with regular maintenance of strategically placed fire breaks to reduce the impact of a fire if it does break out.

We have also increased our pest plant control, including our management of wilding pines, and we have an ongoing programme to keep our reserve tracks clear of grass, weeds and plants so they can act as mini firebreaks throughout our reserves.

In the longer term, we plan to gradually transition to low fire risk native and exotic forest. Council officers regularly meet with PF Olsen and Tasman Pine Forest LTD to work together to manage the risk in the forestry areas on or near Council reserves.

Working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ)

 Council’s Parks team works closely with FENZ, and during fire season, Council officers meet with them weekly to assess the fire risk and if any action needs to be taken. Any decision around reserve closures is made by Council with advice from FENZ. During the fire season we closely monitor the Build Up Index (BUI), which is an indicator of the difficulty in suppressing a fire that has started.

Closing the reserves is a last resort, but when the risk of fire is high, closing the reserves means we can ensure the safety of those who might otherwise be out in Nelson’s hill country when a fire starts, and reduces the risk of a fire starting due to human error. According to FENZ statistics, 98% of wildfires in New Zealand are started by people.