The Dunedin City Council this week considered reinstating a public fireworks display for New Year’s Eve celebrations this year, after a four-year break, and staging it at Robin Hood Park in the Town Belt.
Councillors rejected the proposal, voting it down 9-6, and council staff will look into how festivities might be rejigged — but again not featuring fireworks.
Wayne Boss attended the council’s event in the Octagon to bring in 2017 and his life was changed drastically by what happened just after midnight.
He was knocked to the ground by fireworks debris and blood gushed from his right eye, the Otago Daily Times reported.
Mr Boss said yesterday he had lost all sight in that eye.
"Any medical intervention, such as particularly replacing a lens, which is possible, is not going to bring the eyesight back, because of the damage to the retina or the damage to the optic nerve, which only has a few fibres that work," he said.
WorkSafe decided not to lay charges.
After what happened, he would not attend a fireworks display anywhere, Mr Boss said.
However, he acknowledged their appeal and that such events could be run safely.
Robin Hood Park might well have been a better, safer, venue than the Octagon, he said.
"You would hope that professional companies these days would be competent," he said.
"It might have been fine where they were wanting to run it."
The city has not run a New Year’s Eve pyrotechnics display since welcoming in 2021.
New Year’s Eve festivities in the Octagon to bring in 2022 were cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic and light and laser shows have been run the past three years as an alternative to fireworks.
The council said those had received mixed reviews.
Reactions on social media to the council’s decision not to reinstate a fireworks display were, again, mixed.
"So nine people in a small city think fireworks are not appropriate for locals to enjoy, yet they are just fine in London, New York, Sydney, Berlin, Auckland," Steve Lucas said.
City council candidate Rebecca Twemlow was among the people who felt most councillors got it right.
"Excellent decision," she said.
