Call to ditch fireworks displays in favour of drone light shows
Monday, 1 August 2022
A petition to the Wellington City Council is calling for the end of public fireworks shows in favour of drone displays.
Drone displays are nothing new. As far back as 2017, Lady Gaga performed the Super Bowl half-time show framed by illuminated drones, while the opening of the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 featured 1825 drones producing a globe over the stadium.
In May, Sydney festival Vivid Sydney and Paramount+ teamed up for what was billed as the biggest ever drone light show ever seen in the Southern Hemisphere.
Petitioner Kallum Best is calling on the Wellington City Council to replace fireworks with “drone fireworks” for public displays such a Matariki, New Year’s Eve, Diwali and Lunar New Year.
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This would help mitigate concerns about firework-related air pollution and environmental damage, noise pollution and anxiety trauma to pets.
His petition argues that countries such as China and India have already taken measures towards a “progressive greener way to celebrate” and Wellington should follow suit. The petition opened in mid-July and has so far gathered 185 signatures.
Since launching the petition, Best said he had been approached by an international company that runs drone displays and was interested in coming to Wellington.
The council spent $175,000 on a fireworks display for Wellington Anniversary Day in 2021, information released under the Local government and Official Information Meetings act shows.
The issue of fireworks and their effect on animals can be serious.
It was in 2021 reported that a Tasman woman had to put down a horse after it got spooked by fireworks and got tangled in a fence.
“Animals are just petrified, every single one of our animals reacts on the farm,” said the woman, who did not want to be named.
“Our pet deer, he races round the paddock barking, the sheep run around, the cows, they do a jump and a skip … even the chickens start nutting off.”
SPCA team leader Jamie Hancock then said every year the organisation fielded dozens of calls about frightened and distressed animals during fireworks.
In 2020, councillor Fleur Fitzsimons called for a 2km fireworks exclusion zone around Wellington Zoo after a nyala antelope in 2019 got frightened by Guy Fawkes fireworks and died after running into a fence.
The plan never happened due to it needing a legislative change rather than a council rule change but Fitzsimons on Monday said she backed the drone idea, which was better for animals and the environment.
“Wellington is developing a reputation for engineering innovation, a drone light show could replace our public fireworks displays and showcase local creative talent,” she said.
SPCA scientific officer Alison Vaughan said drones could be an alternative to fireworks, but there could also be issues with drones affecting animals.