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Motorists are being advised to expect delays following a crash on Auckland’s Southern Motorway.

Police were called to the two-vehicle incident near Randwick Park shortly before 6am on Monday.

Fire and Emergency said crews were working to extract one person from their vehicle.

State Highway 1 citybound between the Takanini and Hill Road on-ramps was down to one lane while emergency services responded.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/05/18/delays-after-crash-on-aucklands-southern-motorway/

On the third anniversary of the fatal Loafers Lodge fire, the senior station officer who lead the response says crews were confronted with an “absolute nightmare of a scene”, which escalated rapidly.

Michael Wahrlich, Melvin Parun, Peter O’Sullivan, Kenneth Barnard and Liam Hockings died, when the the blaze, which was deliberately lit, swept through the multi-storey budget accommodation building with nearly 100 people inside.

Operating out of Newtown fire station on 16 May, 2023, senior station officer Clark Townsley was charged with making the first decisions on how to fight the fire.

He said residents and people were beginning to gather on the street, as fire crews arrived, and thick black smoke was already pouring from the upper windows of the building.

A nightmare scene

“It’s amazing how quick you kick into gear,” Townsley said. “You go from being at the station and, within about three minutes, you’re at an absolute nightmare of a scene.

“The gravity of it was almost instantaneous. This is a highly densely tenanted building and the smoke was just so thick.

“It was quite terrifying.”

Inside the building, Townsley had only moments to assess the extent of the blaze and to determine the safety of the structure.

“I’d never ask anybody to do anything I wouldn’t,” he said. “Sending some of your friends into a potentially catastrophic incident, it’s not something you take lightly.

“It was either ‘we do something or people will die’, and ‘if we do do something, people might die’. We’ve got training, we’ve got equipment, those people inside they’ve got nothing, so we had to give it a go.”

Crews got to work fighting the fire, while Townsley began to organise teams to search for trapped residents.

“While I was doing that, I’m getting – over the radio – that there’s people inside still and then, as I’m trying to deal with that, there’s people on the roof,” he said. “As I was delegating the aerial [appliance] to get those off, then the ambulance officer comes and tells me that there’s people jumping out of the window.

“This all happened well inside the first 10 minutes.”

Fire crews withdraw as conditions become unsurvivable

Conditions inside the building deteriorated rapidly and firefighters were forced to withdraw from the building.

“Once the crews started saying that the roof was coming in on them and that they were starting to see conditions for flash over [the simultaneous ignition of any combustible materials in an enclosed area] – which is almost unsurvivable conditions for people inside – we were lucky to get our guys out.

“Subsequently, talking to one or two [firefighters], they said they thought they were going to die inside. We pushed all of the limits and tactics to their absolute limit.

“Everybody gave 100 percent to everything they did in there. We tried everything we could, but the conditions were horrific.”

Lasting impact of Loafers Lodge fire

Townsley said, when he came away from the fire, 15 people were still unaccounted for. The feeling of that moment has stayed with him to this day.

“That’s a lot,” he said. “Five is a lot.

“One is too many, but you have to remind yourself that building had the capacity for 105 people.

“You have to be positive. We did everything we could to help those people in there.

“Obviously, it doesn’t sit well with me. We play to win, we don’t go in there to lose lives.”

Townsley testified in court proceedings where Esarona Lologa was convicted of the murder of five victims of the fire.

Townsley, who Wellington branch president of the New Zealand Professional Fire-fighters’ Union, refused a citation for his work on the fatal blaze, calling it “premature and inappropriate”.

He said he’d had the opportunity to talk to some of the survivors of the fire, and the experience had given him an insight into the community and relationships among the building’s residents.

He spoken to one former resident, who had taken nearly a year to find a new place to live, as he struggled to feel safe in the standard of accommodation offered by social services.

“All of these things start making you think a little bit more about what we do and how we do it, with other agencies, and things like health and mental health,” Townsley said. “They’re all very much interlinked and now I see how important these safety nets in our communities really are.”

He said the fire had also taken a toll on the crews who fought the blaze.

“It’s not done without leaving a little bit of scar tissue. It always leaves you with a bit of something.”

Fire and Emergency said its thoughts were with those who lost loved ones during the Loafers Lodge fatal fire, those who survived this tragic event and those impacted by it.

“This includes our own people, who faced severe fire conditions, yet performed multiple rescues that evening, as well as our 111 calltakers.

“By the very nature of what we do, our people can be exposed to traumatic events. When this happens, Fire and Emergency New Zealand has processes in place to ensure we offer them comprehensive support.

“This includes wellbeing advisors and psychologists, our employee assistance programme and peer support network, all of which are available to all our personnel, career and volunteer.

“Our people’s safety, health and wellbeing are paramount. We are continuing and will continue to provide support to those involved in the Loafers Lodge response.”

Loafers site to be redeveloped

In late 2025, Wellington developer Primeproperty Group agreed to purchase the property.

The group said it had bought the ground floor of the building, but the remainder of the property would remain under the ownership of the existing owner until April 2027.

It said it was in the early stages of working out what to do with the site, including potential redevelopment for modern apartments, a medical centre or a mixed-use combination of both.

“At this stage, our focus is on understanding the site fully, and ensuring any future considerations are approached thoughtfully, responsibly and with appropriate respect for those affected.”

The group said it recognised the deep significance the site held for many people, and that it was approaching its involvement with care, humility and sensitivity.

“While the events that occurred can never be forgotten, we hope any future decisions regarding the site can balance remembrance and dignity with the opportunity for the building to eventually become a safe, positive and caring place again for future occupants and the wider community.”

Wellington City missioner hoping for closure

Wellington City missioner Murray Edridge said he was delighted Primeproperty had plans to redevelop the site.

“In its current form, it just reminds people every day of the trauma of what happened three years ago.”

Also retraumatising for residents in the last 12 months, he said, had been the murder trial for Esarona Lologa.

“They got to live it all again and that was a terribly difficult process for them.”

Edridge said he believed Lologa’s conviction did not give many residents the closure they hoped for.

A second trial is scheduled for later this year for four people involved with the management and operation of the building.

Each face 10 charges of manslaughter, with two charges relating to each of the five victims.

“I am hopeful that the trial this year of those who were responsible for the building will, in fact, bring that closure,” said Edridge, who still works closely with several of the former Loafers Lodge residents.

“Regardless of the outcome of that trial, it sends a message to building owners, to operators throughout this country that, actually, you need to take responsibility for the people you look after and care for, and make sure they’re OK. I think that’s a really healthy and helpful message to be giving.”

Councillor says families need conclusion

Wellington City Councillor Nureddin Abdurahman said families who had lost their loved ones needed a conclusion.

Families still had unanswered questions about what exactly happened that day and a lot of pain.

He also hoped the end of the court case this year would help bring the chapter to a close for some.

Reviews that followed the fire

A Wellington City Council audit released in June 2023 found 25 similar buildings to Loafers Lodge in the capital. Twenty-one had a current building warrant of fitness, one never had one and three did, but they were not current.

Following the fire, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) launched a probe into 37 buildings like Loafers Lodge – buildings that were at least three storeys tall, a boardinghouse and had no sprinklers. It found more than 100 problems, including smoke detectors not working and unmonitored alarm systems.

Tenancy compliance and investigations team national manager Brett Wilson said boardinghouse compliance remained a priority for MBIE.

“The team works with boardinghouse operators to ensure they are meeting their safety obligations, including a recent operation in Auckland, where 15 properties were visited,” he said. “MBIE has also been focused on providing education and information to tenants on the different types of tenancies, and associated rights and responsibilities.”

Building system, delivery and assurance head Simon Thomas said it also worked closely with local governments in relation to building warrants of fitness and compliance schedules, and had provided guidance on how to improve compliance.

Last year, central government also confirmed it would amend the building code to better protect New Zealanders, following strong calls for change, as part of the nationwide fire safety review.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Attributable to Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan:

Police continue to work at the scene of last night’s fire in Mairehau.

We can now confirm that the child who died in the house fire was a three-year-old girl.

Four other children aged between 10 weeks and five-years-old, were admitted to hospital. The children are siblings of the deceased girl.

Three of the surviving children have been discharged and are in the care of family members. One child, a girl aged two-years-old, remains in hospital in a stable condition, with moderate injuries.

A 23-year-old woman, the mother of the children, is in a critical condition in hospital and sadly is not expected to survive her injuries.

The fire is not being treated as suspicious. Enquiries by Police, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand are ongoing, including a scene examination.

An increased presence will remain in the Whitehall Street area while enquiries continue.

This is a heartbreaking tragedy for the whānau, and Police extend our deepest sympathies as they navigate this devastating time.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Police, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, enquiries are underway after one person died following a house fire in Mairehau.

Emergency services were called to a house on Whitehall Street at around 8.25pm on 14 May.

Sadly, a child died at the scene.

One person received critical injuries, three were in a serious to moderate condition, and two received minor injuries. The injured are two adults and four children and were all transported to hospital.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan, says a scene guard was put in place at the property overnight.

“Police will be carrying out a scene examination today, including working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand Fire Investigators.”

The cause of the fire is still to be determined, but it is not believed to be suspicious.

At this stage, there is no further information available.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

Police, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, enquiries are underway after one person died following a house fire in Mairehau.

Emergency services were called to a house on Whitehall Street at around 8.25pm on 14 May.

Sadly, a child died at the scene.

One person received critical injuries, three were in a serious to moderate condition, and two received minor injuries. The injured are two adults and four children and were all transported to hospital.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan, says a scene guard was put in place at the property overnight.

“Police will be carrying out a scene examination today, including working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand Fire Investigators.”

The cause of the fire is still to be determined, but it is not believed to be suspicious.

At this stage, there is no further information available.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

A child has died and six people have been injured, one critically, after a house fire in Christchurch.

Police and Fire and Emergency New Zealand have started inquiries after the child died at the scene of the fire in Mairehau.

One person received critical injuries, three were in a serious to moderate condition, and two received minor injuries, police said on Friday.

The injured are two adults and four children and they were all transported to hospital.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan says a scene guard was put in place at the property overnight.

“Police will be carrying out a scene examination today, including working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand fire investigators.”

The cause of the fire is still to be determined, but it is not believed to be suspicious.

Emergency services were called at about 8.25pm on Thursday.

An RNZ reporter at the scene on Friday morning says neighbours told her a family had lived there.

RNZ understands neighbours helped people who had come out of the house.

The reporter said she has been told by one neighbour that they saw “very high flames” when they came outside last night.

Emergency services were called to the property on Whitehall Street at around 8.25pm.

Christchurch Metro Area Commander Superintendent Lane Todd said emergency services remained at the scene late on Thursday night.

Cordons remain in place on Whitehall Street and Hills Road.

At first, it was unclear how many people were in the house.

“Reports were made that a house was on fire with people unaccounted for,” Todd said in a previous statement.

Firefighters, police and St John staff were at the scene last night alongwith Police Commissioner Richard Chambers who briefly attended.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Police, and Fire and Emergency New Zealand, enquiries are underway after one person died following a house fire in Mairehau.

Emergency services were called to a house on Whitehall Street at around 8.25pm on 14 May.

Sadly, a child died at the scene.

One person received critical injuries, three were in a serious to moderate condition, and two received minor injuries. The injured are two adults and four children and were all transported to hospital.

Detective Senior Sergeant Jo Carolan, says a scene guard was put in place at the property overnight.

“Police will be carrying out a scene examination today, including working with Fire and Emergency New Zealand Fire Investigators.”

The cause of the fire is still to be determined, but it is not believed to be suspicious.

At this stage, there is no further information available.

ENDS

Issued by Police Media Centre

MIL OSI

About 20 firefighters have tackled a house fire in North Auckland in the early hours of Friday.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) were called to a house on Gibbs Crescent in the suburb of Red Hill, about 3.19am.

Three crews, two pumps and a command unit were on the scene at the peak of the fire.

An aerial unit was also deployed to tackle the fire at the two-storey house.

FENZ said the fire was extinguished within an hour, and all the occupants were accounted for. No one was injured.

Some crew members were still on the scene at 5.30am, assisting a fire investigator.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Date:  14 May 2026

The trip into the Matemateāonga Range was Department of Conservation Ranger Shane Woolley’s last helicopter mission prior to his retirement at the end of this month.

“We had a good team in there,” says Shane. “We removed all the burnt iron from the old hut, cleaned up a few trees for safety – it’s all clean and level now, like there was never a hut. We also brought in a water collector, so visitors don’t get caught out.

“The three days out there were all hard work and laughter, which is what my time at DOC has been about,” says Shane, while packing up his DOC accommodation in Pipiriki.

Shane’s initial job with DOC in Pipiriki was meant to last six months.

“Then 26 years later…,” he laughs.

“The place grabs a hold of you, it’s hard to get away from the river. And there’s nothing like this team, you can’t beat these funny, cheeky buggers!”

“It’s been an amazing time and not just on the home front, either. Working with DOC gave me the opportunity to deploy internationally to fight fires in Canada, and Australia several times in the last ten years or so. Their fires are huge and angry; I will never forget those life-changing experiences.”

“But we all gotta move on sometime, and I’ve got mokos to spoil”, Shane says.

“I’m definitely going to miss it all.”

The 11 December 2025 fire destroyed the Pouri Hut, with Fire and Emergency New Zealand unable to determine a cause. Wood burners and cooking equipment were ruled out.

Visitors planning on naturing along the Matemateonga Track are urged to bring their own tent if they plan to stay overnight between Oamari and Ngapurua Huts.

DOC Whanganui is working on options for a replacement hut.

Contact

MIL OSI

s] The cyclist has since been freed and taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Glenmore Street in central Wellington is closed after a cyclist was trapped beneath a car this morning.

Emergency services were called to the crash which happened between the the street’s intersections with Kilmister Avenue and Garden Road at 6.49am.

Fire and Emergency said two fire crews worked to free the rider who was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Police said they are working to determine the cause of the crash.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

MIL OSI

Rescuers were told to hold back for more than an hour from saving a man and his dogs in the middle of a flooded Canterbury river unless something “catastrophic” happened, an emergency call log shows.

The man got stuck in his ute in the Waimakariri River near West Melton just north of Christchurch, with water flowing around the bonnet, about 12.30pm on Saturday.

The first 111 call for help was at 12.34pm.

A Coastguard jetboat and Fire and Emergency raft crew got him off the ute almost two and a half hours later, at about 2.50pm.

But the log showed the FENZ raft crew were ready on the river bank just after 2pm, but told not to deploy “unless urgent life preservation required” and to wait for the Coastguard.

The Coastguard had only been alerted about an hour after the 111 call.

By the time their volunteers got there, the vehicle was “sinking”, according to the log.

“FENZ swift water entering water up stream and Coast Guard entering water from down stream.”

The ute was close to the bank and the eventual rescue took less than 10 minutes.

Police defended the way they coordinated the rescue, calling it efficient and covering all the risks.

‘More dangerous to operate’

A source – a trained responder familiar with what happened – told RNZ that holding back was “odd”.

“It was a pretty simple rescue but then because police are managing it they won’t let us do anything. The river came up and made it more dangerous to operate.”

Coastguard North Canterbury was alerted “just after 1:30pm”, its online post said.

“This was our first official swift water rescue response, and the crew were really chuffed to be able to carry it out successfully. It was a great opportunity to put our training into practice,” said North Canterbury vice president Logan Pryce online.

Pryce said the Coastguard only subsequently learned of the delay.

He told RNZ on Tuesday that while the Coastguard had been “pushing hard” for police, FENZ and civil defence to use their capabilities, it was not privy to police decision-making on Saturday.

“We would rather be let know about a situation early and be sent home because it is resolved before we get there, than… have to work harder to help resolve the situation,” said Pryce.

Police said the rescue was “was completed efficiently and without incident”.

The ute’s driver had “remained under continuous observation by staff on the riverbank”.

“At no point did his condition deteriorate or the level of risk increase.”

Police said they were advised a full and ready FENZ swift water team was not immediately available, while the Coastguard could get there in 45 minutes.

“Given the river conditions and the value of a jet-powered vessel in high flows, police proceeded with Coastguard as the most appropriate partner agency,” police told RNZ on Tuesday.

‘Happy to approve whichever response is going to be the quickest’

Soon after the 111 call at 12.34pm, the FENZ call log said: “Toyota ute is half submerged in the water.

“Occupant is sitting on top of the ute with his 2 dogs about 20m from the riverbank. River is in flood. Ute appears stable at the mo’… Nil injuries … River in flood and has a heavy flow.

“Occupant on ute too far away to communicate clearly with.”

Volunteer fire crews set off – the riverbank was just minutes away – and police and ambulance were alerted quickly.

The crews were set up downstream with throw bags by 1.12pm when word arrived that it “sounds like they [police] are happy to approve whichever response is going to be the quickest between Coastguard, Westpac and FENZ swift water rescue”.

Police said they immediately sent an officer to the scene to monitor the man’s safety.

At 1.13pm the log said: “Water rescue approved”. A few minutes later that went – as per protocol – to FENZ’s National Commanders’ Group to sign off on. This took until about 45 minutes after the 111 call.

FENZ at 1.48pm had been trying to confirm when Coastguard volunteers might get there – but Coastguard said it was only alerted about 1.40pm.

‘Unable to deploy unless catastrophic change in situation’

The water-trained firefighter team got to the riverbank at 1.53pm.

But 11 minutes later came the message for them to wait.

A FENZ assistant district commander – who was not at the scene – referring to a decision by the police SAR (search and rescue) coordinator – who was also not at the scene – said:

“Details passed re SAR decision for swift water rescue to not deploy unless urgent life preservation required.

“He requests that as soon as Coast Guard are on scene we are to be advised and FENZ water rescue to be stood down.”

A minute later the Rolleston fire crew messaged from the riverbank, “SWRT [swift water rescue] set up in place – unable to deploy unless catastrophic change in situation This is from police coms [sic].”

RNZ asked police and FENZ what might have constituted “catastrophic”. They did not address that in their statements and did not give an interview.

The source suggested that might look like a large log floating down, headed towards the ute – at which point the swift water team would have had to scramble. “That would put the rescuers in a worse position.”

‘Doing it right, gets the job done’

In the event, the FENZ team waited 35 minutes till the Coastguard got there at 2.40pm, and shortly after they both got the job done.

“Male and 2 dogs back on shore,” said the log at 2.51pm.

Online comments at Coastguard’s site included: “So awesome to see you guys out with FENZ as well. It’s been a hard and challenging road but you’ve proven that doing it once, doing it right, gets the job done.”

RNZ asked FENZ why its water team did not go in immediately.

It issued a two-line statement: “The police were the lead agency and, as such, it’s appropriate that your inquiry is directed to police.

“Fire and Emergency New Zealand responded and were available as an asset to the incident controller.”

Coastguard spokesperson Kimberley Waters said the national operations centre got the call from police and started mobilising.

“So we have no idea at what point a call was made before that.”

Pryce said North Canterbury volunteers had spent several years getting a boat and vehicle and training to technician level, but Waters did not think the delay was in response to the volunteers’ push to be used.

“The process is always police making a decision as to who they want to respond in any given SAR situation so in this situation our swift water rescue is skilled and qualified,” she told RNZ on Tuesday.

Police said it was a coordinated response that ensured the man was brought to safety while managing risk appropriately for all responders.

“Decisions were made collaboratively, based on real-time assessments, available capability, and the paramount priority of responder and public safety,” said operations manager for Canterbury Inspector Bryan Buck, in a statement on Tuesday.

They discussed whether to send a helicopter but did not.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

An investigation of boarding houses in Auckland found significant non-compliance with Healthy Homes Standards, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) says.

In April, the ministry’s Tenancy Compliance and Investigations Team (TCIT) visited 15 properties in south and central Auckland during a three-day operation.

The investigation team’s national manager, Brett Wilson, said 14 of the 15 properties inspected in the operation did not comply with Healthy Homes Standards.

“Maintenance issues were identified at most of the properties visited, primarily involving structural upkeep of the property, such as doors, windows and guttering, as well as the condition of kitchens and bathroom facilities.”

He said the properties required moderate to extensive repairs to bring them up to the required standard.

“One landlord also disputed that their property was subject to the Residential Tenancies Act and requested TCIT officers leave the premises,” he said.

“Boarding house tenants are typically among the most vulnerable and often lack knowledge of their rights under the Residential Tenancies Act.”

Monitoring boarding house compliance was an ongoing focus for the investigations team, he said.

“Boarding houses have been required to meet the Healthy Homes Standards since 2021 and these targeted visits were an opportunity to assess compliance at a selection of properties, including some that were previously assessed as meeting the standards in 2023/24.”

Wilson said TCIT was working with the landlords to address the issues identified, and reserved the right to take further enforcement action if the issues were not addressed.

The checks were carried out alongside Fire and Emergency New Zealand and Auckland Council.

Auckland Council compliance manager, Adrian Wilson, said staff had been working alongside other agencies through its boarding house inspection programme to address compliance issues.

“This collaborative approach supports compliance across all relevant legislation and helps ensure boarding house tenants’ living conditions and rights are protected.”

Under the Residential Tenancies Act 1986, a boarding house has, or intends to have, at least six tenants at any one time, and a boarding house tenancy lasts, or is intended to last, for at least 28 days.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Police 111 calltakers are stepping in to take fire calls for Wednesday’s one hour strike at Fire and Emergency.

Unionised FENZ communications centre workers and firefighters would strike for an hour from 4.30pm on Wednesday, in addition to the ongoing Friday one-hour strikes.

FENZ told staff about it on Monday.

“This is a temporary public safety continuity measure only,” Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler said in an email.

“To date ComCen Leadership have been able to manage the response during strike periods but they are unable to on this occasion.”

The professional firefighters’ union said it understood two leaders had been allowed to go to Australia for a conference.

“They could’ve managed their staffing better,” the union’s national secretary Wattie Watson said.

Public safety was always a factor due to failure to resource the front line, she said.

FENZ said police would only take the calls then transfer them to fire ComCen leaders not on strike for dispatching any crews and trucks.

The calltakers/dispatchers shared office space in close quarters often.

“Importantly, police are not replacing Fire and Emergency staff and are not involved in employment, bargaining or industrial matters,” Stiffler said.

“They must not be asked to explain, justify or defend this arrangement.”

Police said they were meeting their obligations as a statutory public safety agency.

The “predicted call volume over that hour is a small amount compared to police’s call volumes, and as such, the arrangement is not expected to significantly impact our ability to meet our own demand”, police said.

What callers would have to do, and support and advice, had been offered, acting director of emergency comms and dispatch Mike Higgie said.

“Both organisations have communicated clear expectations about the ongoing professional conduct expected from our respective people.”

Watson said the union had limited information but it appeared this was a one-off for this Wednesday.

“We’ve asked for an explanation, we’ve yet to receive a response from them.”

FENZ was not bargaining so strikes were continuing to try to get them back to the table with a new offer, she said.

Stiffler said in a statement to RNZ, “We have continued to urge the [union] to call off their strikes because they put lives at risk.

“An example of this was last Friday when a commander responded during the paid firefighters’ strike rescuing a person from their smoke-filled home.”

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Fire and Emergency has turned down a request to help one of the United States’ top two urban search and rescue teams.

The USA-02 team in Los Angeles county wanted a specific expert to mentor them for one or two weeks a year ahead of a big test in 2029.

“A great honour,” said the manager who got the request last November.

USA-02 came to Christchurch’s aid after the 2011 earthquake and was part of US efforts to help here after Cyclone Gabrielle.

The 60 or so internationally-mandated USAR teams routinely help each other out with training – and help out other countries after disasters.

The international body called INSARAG said FENZ has a strong record for doing that.

But in this case, emails seen by RNZ showed FENZ turned down the US State Department in March.

The agency said it had to prioritise New Zealand and the Pacific.

“The issue was solely one of timing and organisational readiness,” Ken Cooper, national manager of response capability, said in an internal email last month.

However, Chris Lind, the expert the US wanted, emailed Cooper in March: “This represents a lost opportunity to grow our people and our teams for the better, at no cost to the organisation – particularly valuable in a fiscally constrained environment.”

USAR operations manager Glenn Hudson handled the initial request and called the rejection “short sighted” – the emails showed he had urged top management to quickly OK Lind going before some other agency got asked; it was a chance “to put FENZ and NZ Inc branding on the world stage”.

‘We’d love to have Chris’

RNZ understands it sometimes happens that mentor requests between countries are turned down, but not usually.

The Americans had specifically wanted Lind who they had worked with “extensively” including during Gabrielle in 2023, and noted how they had a big joint exercise coming up in May 2026 and “we’d love to have Chris there if he’s able to join us”.

The request added the sweetener for a second expert to come along each year with Lind, adding as usual with travel and accommodation expenses – but not salaries – paid.

They would have worked to help USA-02 pass its next five-yearly test to be reclassified to United Nations standards in 2029 – the gold standard for earthquake and landslide rescues. It is one of just two American teams classified this way. FENZ provided a mentor to help USA-01 pass in 2022 (NZL-01 who led at the fatal Mt Maunganui landslide this year passed their latest big test in 2024).

When RNZ began making inquiries, Fire and Emergency said it would not be proceeding with the mentor proposal.

“New Zealand’s current strategic focus is on developing and supporting capability across the Pacific nations, which requires us to prioritise our people and resources accordingly,” it said in a statement.

It did not agree to an interview.

Hudson played a key role marshalling USAR forces at Mt Maunganui.

In the emails, he told Cooper the LA county job would give personnel significant exposure to the international rescue environment at virtually no cost.

Later, he labelled the time taken to decide on it “embarrassing”, the lack of follow-up “another example of … poor leadership” and the decision itself “short-sighted”.

“I had hoped that Chris’s involvement would both reinforce and strengthen relationships with our partners, including the US and INSARAG,” he wrote.

INSARAG – the International Search and Rescue Advisory Group in Geneva – said it was a bilateral matter.

“It’s not our business to impose anything on them or to comment on their decisions.”

But it added that FENZ had made a “significant… and lasting contribution” to search and rescue internationally down the years.

FENZ is tied up in a contentious and months-long delayed restructuring that included a proposal to change top USAR – urban search and rescue – jobs.

‘We’ve got some very good friends’

USA-02 provided some of the 600 rescue workers from six countries that Christchurch relied on after the February 2011 quake.

“We’ve got some very good friends,” Foreign Affairs Minister Murray McCully said at the time.

The US ambassador echoed this in 2023 when a dozen technical experts were sent here after Cyclone Gabrielle: “When disaster strikes we are there for one another.”

FENZ reports talk of the “breadth and range” of its USAR capability and how they could be deployed worldwide “at a moment’s notice”.

NZL-01 rescued people after the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. In 2023, 49 INSARAG teams led the search for thousands of people buried under rubble in Türkiye and Syria. Others went to Beirut after the port explosion in 2020, to the Indian ocean tsunami in 2004 and the 2015 Nepal quake.

INSARAG’s Sebastian Rhodes Stampa in Geneva told RNZ that Fire and Emergency’s record was strong.

“This includes supporting classifications or reclassifications for multiple teams over the years within the Asia-Pacific Region and as far away as Europe and the USA,” he said.

After the 2016 Kaikōura quake it led development of a new coordination and management system since adopted by teams globally.

‘I see the writing on the wall’

Hudson had urged Cooper for a quick OK when the request landed on November 25 from Robert Chapman at the State Department’s office of international disaster operations.

It was a “great honour”, Hudson had immediately told Chapman.

He told Cooper “should we deny this request we would be missing out” on FENZ staff development.

But by January and February there had been no decision.

“I am personally sorry this has taken so long,” Hudson told Chapman. He’d had trouble “getting this request across the line” and now he was stepping back while it was referred upwards to a FENZ deputy chief executive, understood to be Megan Stiffler.

“Standing by,” replied Chapman.

On March 17 Chapman wrote that he had not heard back. “Nothing from Megan … pretty sure I see the writing on the wall here, but it would be helpful for me to get it in writing so I can take it back up my chain.”

A few hours later, he got the thumbs down, Hudson writing, “We have looked at all workloads… and our current restructure will rely heavily on his [Lind’s] input developing USAR capability within New Zealand and with our Pacific partners.”

But an hour earlier an upset Hudson had emailed Cooper that FENZ was going to miss out on free and valuable development and strategic benefits.

In addition, he was in the “embarrassing” position of having told the State Department it would hear from FENZ leadership. “When I spoke to them today … I had to quickly make excuses for the lack of communication from the DCE.”

Lind also said the delay was frustrating and left the State Department hanging.

But he accepted the decision and would carry on, as he had always advocated being capable “within our own backyard in the first instance”, Lind wrote.

‘Prioritise our people and resources’

Cooper rejected that the decision was shortsighted or the process showed poor leadership.

FENZ had had options to work with the US without making the mentor opportunity specific to one person at the outset.

“This option was fully considered and supported by the DCE and you were asked to communicate that offer to the US state department,” he emailed Hudson and Lind.

RNZ understands it would be unusual if one country asked for someone by name as a mentor, for the other country to go ahead offering someone else.

Cooper said there was no guarantee of direct leadership engagement in a set timeframe and the process “does not warrant undermining comments”.

FENZ told RNZ it was all about focus: “It is important that we remain focused on the challenges and priorities we are facing organisationally and within the region.

It had “always been, and remains, supportive of opportunities and continues its active participation in INSARAG. We hope to continue work with our US counterparts to look at ways in which we can offer guidance and supportive.”

RNZ approached the US embassy for comment.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Fire investigators are working to find the cause of a house fire in Orewa overnight.

Fire crews were called to the two-storey home on the Hibiscus Coast Highway just after midnight Saturday morning, where flames had spread through the second floor.

Fire and Emergency NZ said there were no injuries and everyone was accounted for.

Police assisted FENZ at the scene.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

Fire investigators are working to find the cause of a house fire in Orewa overnight.

Fire crews were called to the two-storey home on the Hibiscus Coast Highway just after midnight Saturday morning, where flames had spread through the second floor.

Fire and Emergency NZ said there were no injuries and everyone was accounted for.

Police assisted FENZ at the scene.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand