■ Is the fireworks’ tradition worth the distress it causes animals, or do we need tighter restrictions on their private sale and use,” asks Kim Webby

They light up our skies and backyards and have brought joy to generations of Kiwis, but is it time to let go of our passion for DIY backyard fireworks?

I think it is, and I never thought I would be that person. I loved the ritual of letting off fireworks with friends and whānau.

Then I got a dog that is terrified by them. In the past, my pets were mostly indifferent to the bangs and flashes. One cat would even climb onto the back of the couch to watch the aerial display out the window.

But this dog, like many other animals, simply runs in blind panic when she hears the first big bang.

If she is not tied up in her kennel or locked in the house with her humans – she is gone. Our fence is over six feet high and in her younger days she could jump it.

Last New Year’s Eve, we left her in the tender care of visiting whānau for a few hours.

They decided to let her off the chain to feed her, just as the evening cacophony began. It was almost 24 hours before we found our dog and only thanks to social media and the kind Ōpōtiki people who reported sightings.

A door-knocking campaign at daylight resulted in a phone call from two young men who found her at their door that evening.

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals wants a ban on the private sale and use of fireworks.

The SPCA states, “fireworks cause significant fear and distress to animals, compromising their welfare.”

The SPCA suggests people attend controlled, public displays and acknowledges that fireworks are part of many national and cultural celebrations including Matariki, Diwali, Chinese New Year and Guy Fawkes.

Personally, I prefer the big, professional pyrotechnic displays that are way more spectacular than any backyard boffin could put together.

Ōpōtiki’s Matariki and Lantern Festival fireworks displays have been magnificent.

The lightworks and noise are contained in one area, and pets can be safely secured at home.

It is easier to make secure arrangements for pets, when the fireworks are on a set date and for a finite time.

It is harder when backyard displays occur at any time of the year and any hour of the night.

But there will be backyard fireworks this year as there is every year, and the Fire Service has listed some recommendations on the Ōpōtiki Community Facebook page.

Regarding pets they write, “Be a good neighbour, let people around you know you are setting off fireworks, especially if they have pets or livestock.”

As we know, Ōpōtiki is way more than a one-horse town.

We love our horses, but they are easily spooked by fireworks, and may try to jump, or gallop into fences and become entangled, potentially breaking a leg.

Meantime ban or no ban, it seems that perhaps Aotearoa New Zealand is losing the love for fireworks.

Infometrics reports that fireworks imports are down 60 percent, to the third lowest level in nearly 40 years.

Imports this year totalled just $1.16 million compared with $2.7 million last year and $5 million in 2024.

Infometrics suggests the decline is partly due to the economic downturn. As we know, many families struggle now to put food on the table, let alone stump up for a bag of fireworks.

However, Infometrics also points out that a Verian One News poll in October this year, showed that 58 percent of people support a ban on the private sale of fireworks, compared with 31 percent opposed and 11 percent unsure or not prepared to say either way.

On the SPCA’s Election Priorities Scoreboard, it shows that New Zealand First, the Green Party and the Opportunity Party support a ban on the private sale and use of fireworks.

National is opposed to a ban, and Labour and Act’s position is described in the scoreboard as, “no position or stance unclear”.