Burning of waste on rurally zoned land in the Gisborne District or Hawke’s Bay region

The Government has passed an Order in Council – Severe Weather Emergency Recovery (Resource Management—Burning of Waste) Order 2023. This is a result of advocacy by the Horticulture Action Group (HAG), NZ Apples & Pears, and HortNZ.

The order came into force on 5 July 2023. It allows the burning of waste in the open air only if the owner or the occupier or their authorised person:

• Burns the waste on rurally zoned land in the Gisborne District or Hawke’s Bay Region, outside of the Hastings and Napier Air Sheds
• Complies with the permitted activity standards in the Order of Council
• All burning activity must cease by 1 November.

The permitted activity standards stipulate:

• Actions required before waste burning
• The content of a fire management plan
• Conditions that must be during the burning
• Actions that are required after the waste burning.

The detail is provided in the Order of Council, which you can view here.