Source: Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Fire and Emergency New Zealand received calls for 26 incidents between 12pm – 1pm today, Friday 5 November, the time of the strike action by members of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU).
Of these, 13 incidents were in areas impacted by the strike.
Seven of these incidents were fire alarms that did not result in a fire. The remaining six incidents related to one motor vehicle crash, two minor incidents, and three medical emergencies.
An Assistant Commander responded to the car crash in Hillcrest, Auckland, supported by two volunteer crews.
Hato Hone St John responded, as per our contingency plan for this industrial action.
The two minor incidents were a trapped cat and a ring removal. Crews responded to both after the strike hour was completed.
Following the strike period, three Christchurch crews assisted Hato Hone St John with a hazardous substance incident in Woolston.
Our volunteers responded as normal to incidents within their brigade areas.
Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler thanked New Zealanders for their extra care during the strike hour.
“On International Volunteer Day thank you also to our more than 11,000 volunteers across the country, and their employers for supporting them to respond over today’s strike hour,” she says.
“I would also like to thank our Operational Commanders and Communication Centre Managers, who contributed to the response.
“We are disappointed that the NZPFU has issued further strike notices for one-hour strikes at 12pm on 12 and 19 December.
“The Employment Relations Authority yesterday referred both parties to facilitation to help make progress in ongoing negotiations..
“Fire and Emergency’s application for facilitation was aimed at achieving a settlement sooner and we’re pleased the ERA has scheduled the initial meetings for this for next Tuesday and Wednesday 9 and 10 December,” Megan Stiffler says.
“We ask the NZPFU to call off all planned future strikes while both parties are preparing for facilitation.
“There is no good reason for continuing to put the community at risk while we go through that process.”
Bargaining
Fire and Emergency welcomes the recent Employment Relations Authority’s decision to refer it and the NZPFU to facilitation to help make progress in bargaining for a collective employment agreement.
“Attending independent facilitation with the Authority is the next logical step in coming to an agreement, and we will participate in good faith with the NZPFU,” Megan Stiffler says.
“We hope the facilitation process introduces some realism into discussions. The NZPFU’s most recent settlement proposal was more than three times higher than our last offer, which we believe was fair, sustainable, and reasonable, and in line with other settlements across the public service.
“Our latest offer of a 6.2 percent increase over three years would have taken the average senior firefighter remuneration from a range of approximately $80,700-$87,400 to $85,800-$92,900 at the end of the period, excluding overtime and allowances which currently adds an average of $38,800 to annual remuneration. We believe this represents a fair and sustainable increase for our people.
“We value our people, which is why over the past decade average senior firefighter pay has cumulatively increased by 37 percent – more than 10 percent above the average increase for all workers.”
- Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union have been in bargaining talks for a collective employment agreement for paid firefighters since 16 July 2024.
- Fire and Emergency’s most recent offer amounts to a 6.2 percent increase over three years and compares favourably with equivalent public sector agreements.
- Fire and Emergency considers the offer is sustainable, balances cost of living pressures being faced by individuals alongside fiscal pressures faced by Fire and Emergency and is consistent with the Government Workforce Policy Statement.
- The previous 2022 collective employment agreement settlement provided a cumulative wage increase of up to 24 percent over a three-year period for paid firefighters.
- Fire and Emergency has also been investing in replacing our fleet. We’ve taken delivery of 317 new trucks since 2017 and have another 78 on order. We are currently spending over $20 million per year on replacement trucks. There is also a significant programme of station upgrades underway, as well as investment in training.
- For the 2025/26 financial year, Fire and Emergency’s operating budget is $857.9 million. Of that operating budget, 59 percent will be spent directly on the frontline, while another 32 percent is spent on frontline enablers. This means that over 90 percent of Fire and Emergency’s budget is spent on the frontline and the people directly supporting the frontline.
