Government rejects fireworks ban despite cross-party committee recommendation and 100,000 petition signatures

The Government will not ban public fireworks sales, keeping current regulations instead. Parliament's Petitions Committee recommended a ban in April after considering three petitions with close to 100,000 signatures combined. Fire and Emergency NZ, the SPCA and veterinary groups all backed a ban. SPCA chief scientific officer Dr Arnja Dale called the decision "profoundly disappointing."