Fire and Emergency NZ regularly monitored fire risk at Wither Hills, but the decision to close the park lay with Marlborough District Council. Trigg said Wither Hills was an "extremely volatile" area, and that closing it during peak fire season was the safest thing to do. "Any decision to close Wither Hills Farm Park is based on the indices, the fuel loadings, and the weather forecast," the spokesperson said. So it's really important that the community is really well prepared for grassland fire in South Marlborough," Trigg said. South Marlborough was currently in a restricted fire season, meaning permits were required, but north of the Wairau River was still in an open fire season.

Source: Stuff January 07, 2026 04:57 UTC