A paper to be discussed at Thursday’s city council meeting suggests the revival of fireworks for council-run New Year’s Eve celebrations in the wake of surveys showing the format for December 31, 2025, was unpopular.
‘‘The midnight countdown was marked onstage with a countdown, live bagpipers, music from the Ōtepoti All Stars and a small lighting display on stage.
‘‘Roaming performers, interactive elements, diverse food offerings and visual features all added to the celebratory experience. Following the event, a survey was undertaken and the feedback showed 61% of 432 respondents indicating dissatisfaction.’’
The council staff noted the most common complaint was the lack of fireworks since their recent replacement with less explosive alternatives.
‘‘Fireworks were traditionally a key feature of the city’s New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Octagon until 2020-21. That year, the presence of scrim around the Civic Centre and Municipal Chambers posed a fire risk, resulting in the discontinuation of the display.
‘‘Over the following three years, the event featured light and laser shows as an alternative. These received increasingly mixed reviews from the public through direct feedback, media coverage and online commentary. Public feedback consistently referenced the absence of fireworks during these years.’’
However, with scrim around the Civic Centre being reduced, the fireworks display off the Civic Centre was again possible, the council staff report said.
It also noted the 2025-26 event eventually cost $94,000, which was below its $132,000 budget.
‘‘Different entertainment options and adding the fireworks display increases the budget required for this event by about $27,000 to $159,000. This budget increase can be accommodated within the existing festival and events plan delivery budget.’’
The fireworks portion of the entertainment would cost about $50,000, the staff report said.
It also reminded councillors ‘‘the location of the display means fireworks will not be seen from around the city, with sightlines only visible from around the Octagon area’’, while they also could have an impact on wildlife and other animals within the Octagon and CBD area.
But the advantages included the fact that ‘‘fireworks, coupled with the headline artists, present a strong opportunity to promote the event regionally to attract people to the city’’.
Continuing with the status quo ‘‘will provide reduced budget spend’’ and not have an impact on animals, but ‘‘by not acting on the public sentiment, there is a risk of losing residents and visitors over the holiday period to other destinations’’.
Staff had worked closely on this issue, the report said.
‘‘Through the process, potential fireworks locations including the harbour and Robin Hood Park were investigated.
‘‘In the case of the harbour, staging fireworks from a barge was found to be cost prohibitive and moved economic activity away from the central business district. In the case of Robin Hood Park, staging fireworks within the Octagon was found to have a greater impact for event attendees.’’
Councillors will decide whether to bring back the blast of fireworks on Thursday.
