New Zealand summers are always a delightful mix of all four seasons, often in a single afternoon, but this year NIWA predicts warmer, drier conditions (big surprise); great for beach trips but not so great for hordes of hippies throwing fire around. Because, yes. Fire IS cool. But take it from me, it can become very uncool very quickly.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) may impose a Restricted Fire Season, meaning permits are required for any open flames, or even a Prohibited Fire Season, banning all fires outright (standby for updates there).
Here’s the deal: under Business As Usual (BAU) conditions, Kiwiburn’s insurance covers the Effigy and Temple burns, the Tribal Zone Welcome Night, and the Argentinian BBQ. However, if (KEY WORD HERE IS ‘IF’) FENZ calls for restrictions, even these need special permits.
For now, no bonfires, fire pits, or burn barrels are allowed. Braziers must follow the FAST Fire Policy and be approved by the team.
Also, remember: no tiki torches, no candles, no open flames of any kind—even under BAU conditions.
This might not be the fiery fun you envisioned, but a little bit of caution is definitely preferable to a flaming inferno which we definitely are not equipped to extinguish.
The Kiwiburn fire safety policy is available for all to read, here.
Want the science behind fire risk? Check out the public FENZ and NIWA resources here.
Thank you for working with us to keep the Paddock and each other safe. Let’s Burn (that’s Burn, not burn) together!
