Waitomo District Rural Fire Authority

Pursuant to the powers vested in Council under the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977, notice is hereby given of an extension to the period that lighting of fire in the open air is restricted over all of the Waitomo District as from midnight, 27th February 2014 until 30th April 2014 or notified otherwise by public notice.

All fires in the open air are required to have a permit issued by an authorised Rural Fire Officer, except for those activities noted below:

• Barbeques lit in properly constructed containers and fuelled with gas, solid or liquid fuel
• Traditional cooking fires within a pit or confined area and where not less than three metres of ground surrounding the fire is cleared of grass and all combustible material

Any fire within 1km of Department of Conservation administered land requires a permit from the Department of Conservation. Section 23 of the Act states that it is an offence to set on fire, to assist in the setting on fire, or cause or permit to be set on fire, to aid, abet or assist in setting on fire in the open air, any vegetation of combustible material whatsoever, during a restricted fire season except pursuant to an authority or permit from a Fire Officer for the Rural Fire District.

It shall be no legal defence against claims for damage caused by any fire, that such fire was of the type, or lit at the time permitted, by the notice.

Permit applications should be made to the Waitomo District Council, phone 07 878 0800 during the hours of 8am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Permits should be applied for at least three working days (72 hours) in advance of the planned fire to enable site inspections to be made by the Fire Officers.

Permits will not be issued after hours, during weekends, public holidays.

JOHAN CULLIS PRINCIPAL

RURAL FIRE OFFICER