A prohibition on fireworks has been included in the Nelson-Tasman fire ban, due in part to concerns over use of fireworks in the region.

Concerns over the irresponsible use of fireworks have resulted in a total ban in the Nelson-Tasman region.

The prohibition was brought in by Fire and Emergency New Zealand on February 5, adding to the existing ban on open fires.

The Nelson City Council said on Tuesday that because of the ban and the closure of city reserves, there would be no fireworks display at the end of Opera in the Park at Trafalgar Park on Saturday.

Nelson/Tasman Principal Rural Fire Officer Ian Reade said the ban was imposed after concerns raised by members of the community about people using fireworks irresponsibly.

Reade said the stakes were too high to allow continued use of fireworks in the region.

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"If you look back to the fire last year (at Pigeon Valley) it started with one spark, a piece of metal hitting a stone – that's all it took. So why would you go and deliberately put a heap of sparks everywhere?

"Anybody that's lighting fireworks is liable to a fine of up to $300,000 and two years in jail.

Alden Williams/Stuff In December 2014, a large scrub fire in Marsden Valley was set off by fireworks launched by members of the public.

"We've tried the education and the 'please refrain' process, but now we're having to resort to the legislation."

Reade said letting off fireworks at this time of year was a "dead cert recipe for disaster".

"We have had fires starting in November when it's not so dry, and even in winter from fireworks."

Reade said in the week before the ban was put in place, there had been complaints regarding firework use from Golden Bay, Motueka and Nelson.

The Nelson City Council said an exemption had initially been sought for the Opera in the Park fireworks, based on stringent precautions, but the council decided to pull the plug.



"This was obviously a hard decision to make, but we can't ask Nelsonians to be vigilant about fire risk, without also being as responsible as possible ourselves," group manager community services Roger Ball said.

Council is now working with Combat Pyrotechnics to repurpose some, if not all, of the fireworks for the council-supported Matariki event in June/July.

Tasman mayor Tim King said he had passed on several complaints from local residents to FENZ.

King said while there hadn't been many calls, these had included people seeing fireworks being used in and around Golden Bay and Motueka.

"FENZ responded really quickly which was good. It seems pretty ridiculous, given the current fire danger and dryness across the region, that anyone would think it was a good idea to let off fireworks anyway.

"Unfortunately you have to go through that process to point out what I think would be common sense to 99 per cent of people."

Reade said firefighters had also been called out over the weekend to put out two open fires that had been lit on Tasman beaches.