Port Hills wildfires: Flammable grass could create 'fire trap' for native bush

Anna LeaskSenior Journalist - Crime and Justice·NZ Herald·7 Sep, 2026 10:46 PM3 mins to read‌NZ Herald Morning Headlines | Tuesday, September 8, 2026. Todd Energy gets up to $23.5m for gas projects and the Government introduces $5m tourism boost. Video / NZ HeraldRepeated wildfires in Christchurch’s Port Hills could be creating a “fire trap” that prevents native bush from regenerating, new research suggests.

University of Canterbury researchers examined native plants at a Port Hills restoration site after the February 2024

and found some young trees and shrubs were able to resprout despite heavy fire damage.

Port Hills wildfires: Flammable grass could create 'fire trap' for native bush

Other newsrooms on this story

Related reading

ROBERT HARDMAN: How rewilders are making Britain a tinderbox

Fire risk to London as forest burns near Paris and Spain counts blaze cost

Silage fire spreads to pine trees in Ashburton district

Firefighters tackle bushfire on NSW Central Coast

Fire and Emergency treating large Wānaka blaze as suspicious

Western Australia burns 200,000 hectares a year for fire safety, but scientists…