Carterton fire brigade is back on track to host the National Waterways firefighting championship in November, nine months after the deadly Christchurch earthquake forced its cancellation,
Originally scheduled for February, the event was cancelled in the aftermath of the earthquake as firefighters from around New Zealand rushed to Canterbury to help out with the recovery effort.
Fire chief Wayne Robinson said that after the disappointment of the late cancellation it was great to get the event back on track.
"It's all good for Carterton and for the Wairarapa.
"The cancellation was a bit of a kick in the guts but to have everyone coming back in November will be great."
He said the new dates would now be the weekend of November 4-5.
The two-day event, which tests the fitness and skills of firefighters from around the country, will have added significance this year as the Carterton brigade is both host and reigning champion.
The brigade is entering an A and a B team and hopes to back up last year's triumph with another solid performance.
The event was originally to be opened by Governor-General Sir Anand Satyanand, who was touring Wairarapa when the 6.3 magnitude earthquake struck.
Mr Robinson said he had been worried the event would be rescheduled for summer 2012 - the traditional time of year for the event.
"We made a lot of T-shirts and other stuff up with 'Carterton 2011' on them, so this way we still get to use them."
He said the brigade's water tanker had been deployed in Christchurch on earthquake duty since February and was due back later this month.
Carterton arena for firefighters
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