Ruapehu's rural fire status notification is being revamped to provide greater flexibility that reflects the large size of the district.
Noel Mingins, Ruapehu District Council (RDC) principal rural fire officer, said the old system that gave the whole of the Ruapehu district a single fire status of either "open", "restricted", or "prohibited" was far too inflexible for a district of its size.
"In previous years we've had the situation where one part of the district has been dry enough to be 'prohibited' and not allowing any fires whatsoever, while another part has been wetter and could have had a 'restricted' status allowing permitted fires," he said.
He said the new system divided Ruapehu into four quarters with the borders running along state highways or district roads.
The quadrants are northwest bound by State Highway 4 and the Kaitieke Rd and Oio Rd, northeast bound by SH4 and SH47, southwest bound by Kaitieke Rd and Oio Rd and SH4, and southeast bound by SH47 and SH4.