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Find out about what you can and can't burn on your property. Air quality problems can be reported to the Pollution Response team on 0800 108 838.
This year, an exception is in place for flood-damaged properties within airsheds to responsibly burn waste this winter. Items that can be burned include trees, vines, prunings, vegetation, and untreated timber. All other materials are still prohibited.
Consents are not required. Please follow all burn guidelines, bylaws, FENZ requirements and ensure wind drift is limited.
Materials you can burn at certain times of year (see ‘when can I burn’ below):
Materials you must never burn:
It is banned to burn these materials as they are extremely damaging to air quality:
If you or your property is affected by outdoor burning, call our Pollution team - Pollution Hotline: 24/7 - 0800 108838.
Find out more about our pollution team here.
There are specific rules restricting the outdoor burning on trade or industrial sites.
• They cannot burn materials outdoors without a resource consent, OR
• They cannot burn materials without proper incineration equipment – a purpose built incinerator or boiler with a chimney and a way of controlling temperature (44 gallon drums are not incinerators), AND
• They aren’t burning waste generated on another property, AND
• They aren’t burning any of the prohibited items listed on this page, AND
• They are complying with city or district council bylaws, and Fire Emergency NZ’s requirements.
Growers may burn outdoors during May, June, July, and August if there are no other practical or reasonable onsite disposal methods. Burning may only occur for:
• Orchard or vineyard redevelopment - Where production trees are removed and being replanted. Allowing orchards to go back to pasture or crop planting is not redevelopment.
• Disposal of diseased plant material.
However, there are strict conditions for this:
• The burning of prunings is not permitted.
• Fires must be lit in a way to reduce smoke and hazards, AND
• none of the prohibited items listed on this page are being burnt, AND
• they are complying with city or district council bylaws, and Fire Emergency NZ’s requirements.
Burning on horticultural production land is not permitted if:
• the wind is likely to cause smoke to drift towards the Napier or Hastings airsheds, block visibility on nearby roads, OR
• under calm conditions where the wind speed at 1m above ground is less than 3 metres for second.
Fires for cooking such as BBQs, hāngi and umu are permitted at any times so long as:
• They aren’t burning any of the prohibited items listed on this page, AND
• They are complying with city or district council bylaws, and Fire Emergency NZ’s requirements.
• The fire does not cause nuisance smoke/odour for neighbouring properties. Smoke cannot block visibility on nearby roads
Enter your address below. If your property falls into the orange zone on the map you cannot burn outdoors during the months May, June, July, and August (inclusive).
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