NZ's wildfire future: which regions are most at risk?
By Jamie Morton
New Zealand's fast-rising fire danger has prompted questions about how prepared our communities are for big blazes - and whether development should even be allowed in highest-risk places.
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Today, rural fires cost the economy about $67m each year - but that figure would swell as fire seasons lengthen by an average 70 per cent in a mere 20 years.
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Scion fire scientist Grant Pearce said regions with larger population centres saw more fires, which were almost always started by people.
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By 2040, the annual average number of fire danger days would jump from around six to more than eight in Kaitaia; eight to 12 in Auckland; nearly 17 to nearly 33 in Wellington; 39 to 45 in Christchurch; six to 14 in Kaikoura; and five to 18 in Dunedin.
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