No break for Far North firefighters

Kia ora koutou Northland Age readers. I hope you all had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday break and managed to reconnect with whānau and friends. Normally, my first column of the year would preview the year ahead and outline key priorities for the Council. Instead, I want to talk about all those who have worked throughout the holiday break to extinguish the biggest fire in Northland for more than a decade.

The Waiharara fire started just before Christmas and, at its height, threatened around 50 homes at Kaimaumau. Thankfully, none were damaged, but more importantly, there were no serious injuries despite the very difficult conditions faced by firefighters and helicopter pilots. We had as many as 80 firefighters and eight helicopters battling this blaze. By mid-January, it covered 2828ha and had a perimeter of 38km. Thankfully, it has not expanded any further since mid-January. This has allowed firefighters to consolidate fire suppression work, focus on dousing hot spots and extend 30-metre containment lines with support from helicopters.

There were still 36 firefighters on the fireground over the long weekend. They were supported by heavy machinery and one helicopter operating three hours a day. This focused and unrelenting effort over more than a month has now paid off. The operation will be scaled back next week, although crews will remain to monitor the site and keep the community informed of any risks.

While we are all thankful no homes were lost, the communities of Waiharara, Kaimaumau, Houhora and Rangiputa have been impacted by the fire. To help, I established the Waiharara Fire Mayoral Relief Fund in January. It will distribute money donated by groups and individuals and $20,000 from the Government to those directly affected. This is being undertaken with a community governance group that includes residents, hapū, iwi, Civil Defence and Fire and Emergency New Zealand. While we have set a $1000 cap on how much individuals can claim, this can be increased if appropriate. So far, we have received 15 applications, but I expect more to come in as firefighting operations wind down and residents take stock of the fire’s impact. You can donate online or at any ASB Bank branch by quoting account number 12 3244 0022509 04. You can email my office at John.Carter@fndc.govt.nz if you wish to apply for funding.

On January 12, all of Northland moved to a restricted fire season, and a complete ban was placed on open-air fires north of Awanui to Cape Rēinga and the Karikari Peninsula. Despite these restrictions, we have already seen two significant vegetation fires. One at Awanui two weeks ago came dangerously close to several homes and, last weekend, ground crews supported by six helicopters fought a blaze on conservation land at Karikari Peninsula. We are incredibly lucky none of these fires have destroyed homes or taken lives. Summer is no time for fires in the Far North and no permits will be issued for fires where there is a complete ban. Please immediately report any fires in these areas to the fire service.