Firefighters walk off the job as dispute with FENZ escalates

Paid firefighters across New Zealand will walk off the job for one hour today, with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) warning the strike will compromise public safety while the union accuses the agency of mismanaging resources and failing frontline crews.

Fire and Emergency Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler said communities in urban centres should be “extra careful” between 12pm and 1pm, when professional firefighters strike as part of an ongoing pay and conditions dispute.

“We will answer 111 calls during the hour and respond to fires in strike-affected areas, but our responses will be delayed because our callouts will have to be covered by volunteers,” Stiffler said.

She said volunteers will need to respond from their own stations in their own trucks, increasing travel time. FENZ will prioritise emergencies but may not respond to lower-risk callouts such as private fire alarms without signs of fire, small rubbish fires, traffic management support or animal rescues.

“We’re asking people and businesses in cities and towns primarily served by paid firefighters to remain extra careful,” Stiffler said. “Should there be a fire, evacuate early and once out, stay out. Then call 111.”

Stiffler said the strike was unnecessary while the Employment Relations Authority considers FENZ’s application for facilitated bargaining. She said the union’s most recent settlement proposal was three times higher than FENZ’s offer, which includes a 6.2 percent increase over three years. FENZ argues this is in line with public sector agreements and sustainable within its $857.9m operating budget.

But the New Zealand Professional Firefighters’ Union says firefighters are striking because conditions have deteriorated to unsafe levels.

Auckland Local Secretary and National Vice President Martin Campbell disputed FENZ’s claims around investment, particularly its statement that it is spending $20 million annually on new trucks.

“FENZ say they are spending $20 million a year on trucks, where is it going?” Campbell told the Franklin Times.

“No new fire truck has arrived at a career fire station in New Zealand for over eight years. The ones they talk about are plagued with problems, radio interference, lockers too small to fit all the gear, out of warranty due to sitting in a paddock for over five years.”

Campbell said five new aerial appliances on order were unlikely to arrive on stations until mid-next year.

He said career firefighters make up only 13.5 percent of FENZ’s total paid and volunteer workforce yet protect communities that account for 70 percent of New Zealand’s population.

Despite their small numbers, he said, career crews respond to the majority of serious incidents nationwide, including structure fires, rescues, hazardous substance callouts, medical events and fatal fires.

Campbell said the strike action highlights the scale of pressure on paid firefighters and warned that relying heavily on volunteers during urban walkouts “demonstrates exactly why career stations are essential in our highest-risk communities”.

FENZ said most of the country will not be affected, as more than 11,000 volunteers across nearly 600 stations will continue to respond as normal.

The strike comes amid ongoing negotiations for a new collective agreement, which began in July 2024.