NZ First to push backyard fireworks ban in coalition talks
New Zealand First says it will take a ban on backyard fireworks into coalition negotiations after the election, with legislation already written for introduction within the first 100 days of the next government.
The party wants to ban the public sale and private use of fireworks. The proposal would stop manufacture and import for private use, while still permitting professionally organised public displays, according to RNZ.
Leader Winston Peters lodged a member's bill on the ban in November last year. A member's bill is a proposal from an MP who is not a minister. It goes into a ballot, like a Lotto draw, to decide what Parliament debates. The party names it the Fireworks Prohibition Legislation Bill, according to New Zealand First. Peters said "Enough is enough" when announcing the bill to ban private fireworks.
The party blames fireworks for frightening animals, starting fires and causing havoc, according to ODT. The latest push restates that position one month out from polling day.
The party leaders disagree. In Tuesday night's TVNZ leaders' debate, National leader Christopher Luxon answered "no" when asked whether fireworks should be banned from public sale. Labour leader Chris Hipkins also answered "no" to the same question.
ACT leader David Seymour opposes a ban. Green Party co-leader Chloe Swarbrick said in July that restricting private fireworks sales was a "common sense position".
The policy has already been through Parliament's petitions process. The Petitions Committee considered three petitions backed by more than 95,000 signatures. Its report, released in April, concluded the evidence of harm made it difficult to recommend anything other than a ban on fireworks.
In July, the coalition government rejected the recommended ban. It argued the ban would remove access to a longstanding legal activity.
Under current rules, fireworks can be sold to people aged 18 and over for four days a year, from November 2 to 5. There is no nationwide restriction on when they can be let off.
The election is on November 7, two days after Guy Fawkes celebrations held under the existing rules.
The broader context here is procedure as much as policy. A member's bill in the ballot needs luck in the draw or adoption as a government bill to progress. A first-100-days pledge is a negotiations signal. It tells voters and potential coalition partners where New Zealand First would put the issue in post-election talks, and invites the larger parties to weigh that demand against their stated opposition.
For those watching Parliament closely, the test will be familiar. Similar fireworks restrictions have been raised before without government backing. The difference this time is a drafted bill, a select committee report recommending a ban, and a 95,000-signature petition base. The question for the next Parliament is whether those elements move the issue from the ballot to the legislative programme.
