Fire and Emergency New Zealand says it has still not made a decision about whether to recover costs for fighting the Wanaka Mt Alpha fire early last month or prosecute the owners of the Mt Aspiring Rd property where it started. Urban and rural fire crews from around Otago, Central Lakes, Southland and Mt Cook, together with helicopters carrying monsoon buckets fought the blaze over several days. ''The [fire investigation] report won't be made public until that decision has been made,'' she said. In the past, rural and local fire fighting authorities sought costs directly from those found to be responsible for starting the fire. Since July 1, when FENZ was formed, the costs of fighting a fire are now recovered through the courts or legal avenues.

Source: Otago Daily Times February 28, 2018 16:07 UTC