Banks Peninsula Volunteer Fire Brigade

16/02/2026

Mayor Phil Mauger made the declaration at 12pm following the impact of the wet weather such as flooding, fallen trees, slips, landslides and loss of communication and power to some areas, overnight and this morning.

Avoid unnecessary travel and stay safe. We are here to help.

A Local State of Emergency has today been declared for Banks Peninsula.

16/02/2026

FYI - be safe out there.

Be advised that there are road closures in the Little River township SH75 between Barclay rd to council hill rd and SH75 between western valley rd to church rd, A small diversion can be taken if absolutely required down chuch rd onto western valley rd.

24/12/2025

Our volunteers continue to give their time while balancing work, family, and training, and their commitment to the Banks Peninsula community makes us incredibly proud.

While the holidays are a time to rest, the Banks Peninsula Volunteer Fire Brigade remains on call 24/7. With increased visitor numbers over summer, please park considerately and keep access clear for emergency services on the peninsula’s narrow streets. Roads will be busy, so plan ahead and travel safely.

We wish our community and visitors a very Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and a safe and enjoyable holiday season.

26/11/2025

⚠️ High Wind Warning ⚠️

MetService has issued an orange wind warning for severe gale northwesterlies of up to 120km for the Canterbury High Country and the plains near the foothills for tomorrow Thursday 27th November. Fire and Emergency are warning people of an increased fire risk from today.

We ask people to do the following:
❌ Avoid lighting any new outdoor fires
✅ Thoroughly extinguish any existing fires and old burn piles
✅ Always visit www.checkitsalright.nz prior to lighting any outdoor fire and check your local weather conditions
✅ Phone 111 if you have a fire that is getting out of control

For a demonstration on how to safely extinguish a burn pile click the link below 👇
https://www.facebook.com/reel/2728138930853997

04/11/2025

We had a wonderful social gathering, and it was great to see so many of you come along with your families. Your participation made the event warm, lively, and memorable. A sincere thank-you to everyone for the time, effort, and commitment you continue to give in serving our communities. Your dedication and teamwork are deeply appreciated and make a real difference every day.

We would also like to extend our special thanks to the Akaroa Volunteer Fire Brigade crew for facilitating and supporting us with this event. Your hospitality and effort helped make the evening such a success.

21/10/2025

TOTAL FIRE BAN FROM 12PM TODAY
We will give you more details as they are provided but from 12pm today there are to be no fires.

22/07/2025

https://www.facebook.com/100070186423242/posts/1052242400458631/

Black ice is one of the hardest winter weather hazards to see – it doesn't look too different from a normal road surface.

A road with black ice can look normal because the layer of ice is thin enough to allow the black colour of the road to show through. Even though the layer of ice is thin it's still slippery enough to cause you to lose control of your vehicle.

Black ice forms when the surface temperature of a road is below freezing and light rain falls on the road. It can also form when water already on the road freezes when temperatures fall below freezing point.

You can see the effect in the picture below where a truck slid across a road due to black ice.

Adjust your speed to suit the conditions. Slow down and avoid sudden braking or turning to reduce the risk of sliding. Watch out for areas shaded from the sun – they may stay slippery for longer. It takes longer to stop on slippery roads, so increase your following distance to people ahead of you.

When the weather is bad, always check our pages to see if state highways are affected before you travel. Our priority is your safety – we may close state highways if conditions make it unsafe for travel. You can find more information in this post: https://www.facebook.com/nztransportagency/posts/pfbid0FSzkpU3WTJ7YDcNHKQGD6KjfbxEqSWQgvezDsHB8VZgoxtTMTmS6j5erpU55NPRzl

Visit our website for more information about driving during winter: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/winter-driving/

Thanks to our South Canterbury roadworker crews for this photo, and for their work maintaining the state highways to keep everyone safe.

12/07/2025

Banks Peninsula wind storm update Sunday 13 July:
Our repair crews continued restoring power to customers until late in the evening last night and we are down to 680 customers without power (at 8am Sunday 13 July). Crews were back out at first light and are continuing to restore power.

Please treat all lines as live and stay clear. If you do see damage or lines on the ground please call Orion on 0800 363 9898.

For more details visit

The Orion Group

12/07/2025

Powe update FYI

https://www.facebook.com/61576772780541/posts/122118645788892426/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v