2024 Port Hills fire

The cause of the fire is officially undetermined.^[5][6] The fire began on private property sometime between 1:45 pm and 2:08 pm.^[13] The first call to emergency services was made at 2:13 pm.^[14] While the property owner had been in the area before the fire, no ignition source could be identified. Due to the high relative humidity, it is possible the fire started earlier as a smouldering fire, and only ignited into flame later.^[15]

Police and FENZ asked for photographs of the fire between 1:45 pm and 2:45 pm to trace the origin, a half hour before and after the fire began.^[16] The footage received from the public assisted in determining the time the fire started.^[17] The ignition point of the fire has been identified as within metres of a public walking track in a pine plantation on Worsleys Spur.^[18]

Ultimately, FENZ determined there was no evidence that the fire was intentionally lit, though Christchurch Adventure Park managing director John McVicar said he felt it was likely the result of arson.^[19]

In the aftermath of the fire, questions were raised about whether it was safe to replant the area with highly flammable pine trees. Residents expressed frustration that the area was replanted with pine trees after the 2017 fire.^[19] Christchurch City Council Mayor Phil Mauger and Selwyn District Council Mayor Sam Broughton wrote to the government forestry minister Todd McClay requesting changes to forestry rules that made it difficult for the councils to manage wildfire hazards, but the government declined to act on the request.^[19]

In an operational review released in February 2025, FENZ found that their "aggressive" approach to the fire had resulted in a quicker resolution than the previous 2017 fire. They revealed they had spent NZ$3,000,000 extinguishing it, less than the NZ$7,000,000 spent on the 2017 fire.^[19] Additional early-warning detector systems designed by Attentis were installed in the Port Hills. The system did not provide early warning of the fire, but was useful in informing the FENZ response.^[19]

During the recovery the Christchurch City Council spent NZ$750,000 on protecting downstream waterways from sediment and ash runoff.^[19]

• Foley, John (24 September 2024), 2024 Port Hills Fire Investigation Report and Operational Review (PDF), Fire and Emergency New Zealand, archived from the original (PDF) on 18 December 2024, retrieved 24 December 2024
• Operational Assurance (14 February 2025), Operational Review: F3914792 Port Hills 2 Fire (PDF), Fire and Emergency New Zealand, archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2025, retrieved 14 February 2025