PETITION FOR A PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO FIRE AND EMERGENCY NEW ZEALAND

The NZPFU is calling for an independent inquiry into FENZ to examine why FENZ has failed to manage funding to ensure that it has the capacity and capability for reliable emergency response to the New Zealand public.

Please sign this petition to support the call for a public inquiry into whether FENZ has been properly using its funding to ensure that it has the staffing and resources necessary to keep the New Zealand public safe.

• The state of the FENZ fleet is dire with breakdowns, and a lack of fit-for-purpose relief appliances often leaves communities exposed as firefighters (career and volunteer) either fail to get to emergency incidents, or emergency response at incident is directly impacted by failing or broken old fire appliances.
• FENZ is now driving down staffing levels by reversing improvements to staffing levels that were made to prevent stations closing or trucks responding understaffed. 
• FENZ has cut career firefighter recruit courses and volunteer brigades are reporting limited access to training for volunteer recruits.
• There are three 111 emergency centres in New Zealand, but FENZ continues to understaff and overwork dispatchers, resulting in documented significant impacts on their health and wellbeing. It is not unusual for one or more of the three 111 emergency centres to be closed due to lack of staffing, putting extra strain on the crews in other centres to cover the rest of the country.
• FENZ recently removed the “future” from a critical Future Operating Capability project, only focusing on what we have now despite known changes in risks, including population growth, changes to types of industries, and the increased risk of extreme weather events.
• There has been huge waste in expenditure with no accountability. Tens of millions wasted through a shelved payroll system, a failed uniform project, restructures to undo the damage of previous restructures, and changes to complaint systems that are still causing grief for many.
• The Fire Service Commission was operating on a budget of about $340 million.  FENZ was established in 2017 with a one-off $300 million start-up package in addition to annual funding. In 2025, FENZ reported $838 million in funding. While firefighter numbers (volunteer and career) have been largely stagnant, FENZ has doubled the levels of non-operational staff including management since its establishment, and for 8 years, not one new fire appliance has made it to career fire stations.