Naseby residents, crib owners and firefighting experts are urging the Central Otago District Council to play a bigger part in protecting properties and people against potential wildfires, as risk ramps up due to increasingly dry conditions.
Adair Craik, of new group Firesmart Naseby, had been rallying her community to be vigilant to the risk, but people needed some convincing, she said.
Knowing what vegetation to plant close to a home - and what not to - could prevent a home being burnt to the ground.
‘‘And it’s not just how it affects your property, it’s how it affects everyone else’s properties as well,’’ Ms Craik said.
‘‘We’ve got a lot of work to do - there’s a lot of education and it’s going to be a bit of an uphill battle.’’
Firesmart Naseby is a newly established community group in the township working to reduce wildfire risk.
Ms Craik spoke on behalf of the group to a full meeting of the council on Thursday, alongside Fire and Emergency New Zealand risk reduction adviser Mark Mawhinney, who works with councils to create good policies and guidelines to mitigate risk.
It was his view Central Otago should follow the lead of neighbouring Queenstown Lakes in recognising wildfire as a real hazard and putting in place robust risk mitigation frameworks, ‘‘even down to the individual household level’’.
‘‘This is very much climate driven. It’s just unfortunate Central Otago is one of the driest climates in New Zealand, so there is a need for it here,’’ he told the mayor and councillors.
‘‘Looking to the future, we don’t know what the climate is going to do, but science suggests it’s going to get drier, which will be a pretty extraordinary thing for Central Otago.’’
He said early engagement by councils was vital, particularly with greenfield developments, to ensure ‘‘people don’t wake up one day . . . to discover they have built or planted in a way that poses a risk should a fire ever start’’.
Deputy mayor Neil Gillespie said the council was reviewing the rural chapters of its district plan, which presented a timely opportunity for community groups to work through their concerns with elected members and council staff.
Cr Gillespie, also chief of the Cromwell Volunteer Fire Brigade, said the district plan process was the start of making sure there were ‘‘appropriate rules in place’’.
‘‘It’s a good chance to get that conversation going.’’
The last community information session on the district plan review is scheduled for Ranfurly on Thursday.
Sessions have already been held in Tarras, Cromwell, Bannockburn, Roxburgh and Alexandra.
