Politics

Fireworks imports fall to $1.2 million as calls for a sales ban continue

Hana SinclairPublished 14m ago2 min readBased on 4 sources
Fireworks imports fall to $1.2 million as calls for a sales ban continue
Photo by Office of the Governor-General (New Zealand) / CC BY-SA 4.0

Fireworks imports totalled $1.2 million in the year to September 2026, the third-lowest annual figure since records began, according to Infometrics principal economist Brad Olsen. The analysis draws on Stats NZ and Customs data.

The figure was down nearly 60 percent from $2.7 million a year earlier. Imports averaged $4.4 million a year during the 2010s, and peaked at $6.5 million in 2016. They fell to $1.3 million in 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Import values have now dropped for two consecutive years, and 2026 imports were 77 percent lower than the recent high of nearly $5 million in 2024.

The import figures come as pressure grows for tighter rules on sales. Parliament's Petitions Committee, a group of MPs that examines petitions sent to Parliament, considered three petitions calling for a fireworks ban. Together they carry nearly 100,000 signatures. The committee's final report recommends that the Government ban the public sale and private use of fireworks.

The Government has not taken that advice. It announced in July that it would not progress a ban on public sale. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it was heartbroken and outraged by the Government's decision not to ban the private sale and use of fireworks.

The SPCA has also pointed to the effect of fireworks on animals. Dr Alison Vaughan, the organisation's senior scientific officer, said up to three-quarters of cats and dogs have a fear of fireworks, and 80 percent of horses do. A quarter of horse owners have reported their horses becoming injured as a result of fireworks.

NZ First has a private member's bill, a bill introduced by an MP who is not a minister, that would ban the public sale and private use of fireworks. Fireworks also came up in the campaign. At the TVNZ leaders debate at the start of October, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Opposition Leader Chris Hipkins both answered "no" when asked whether fireworks should be banned from public sale.

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