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Fire & Emergency New Zealand

Fire and Emergency asks ERA to fix collective agreement terms

Fire and Emergency asks ERA to fix collective agreement terms

6 November 2026

Public urged to take extra care during election-day strike tomorrow

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has applied to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) to fix the provisions of the collective agreement being bargained with the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU), after more than two years of negotiations and following the escalation of strike action that creates an unacceptable safety risk for the public.

National Commander Megan Stiffler says the application is a last-resort step available under the Employment Relations Act and comes after the NZPFU announced its members would be walking off the job for four 10-hour strikes starting later this month.

“We would much rather have reached an agreement through bargaining, but we have reached the point where we believe every reasonable avenue to achieve a negotiated settlement has been exhausted. We also believe it’s important to take this step given the extreme risk to public safety posed by the upcoming 10-hour strikes.”

“We have participated in direct bargaining, mediation and independent facilitation. We also suggested independent arbitration as another way to bring the dispute to a conclusion, which the NZPFU declined.”

During the most recent bargaining exchange, the NZPFU did not table a revised pay proposal or identify what pay outcome it would accept. It also rejected a request by the ERA to put forward its best position to try and resolve the dispute, something Fire and Emergency agreed to do.

Fire and Emergency’s most recent settlement proposal represented an average 2.5 percent increase in the first year made up of a salary increase alongside news and increased allowances, followed by an additional 2.2 percent salary increase in the second year.

“Fire and Emergency has repeatedly shifted its position in an effort to bring the parties together. The NZPFU has repeatedly moved its position further away and appears completely uncommitted to achieving a realistic sustainable settlement. We now need an independent process that can bring certainty to our people and the communities we serve.”

Fire and Emergency’s most recent proposal was modelled at approximately $50 million over four years, while the NZPFU’s last proposal was modelled at approximately $130 million over the same period and provided for an 18.5 percent increase over two years.

Election-day strike tomorrow

The application comes ahead of a one-hour NZPFU strike tomorrow, Saturday 7 November, from 12pm to 1pm. The stoppage falls on election day and comes ahead of the NZPFU declaring it will undertake four 10-hour strikes , with the first due to begin on 27 November.

“We call on the NZPFU to call off tomorrow’s strike. There is no need to put communities at further risk while the ERA considers this application.”

All 111 calls will be received and responded to during the one-hour stoppage, but response times will be delayed in strike-affected areas because volunteer crews will be responding from the next closest location.

During the strike, Fire and Emergency will prioritise emergencies and may not attend less serious incidents, including private fire alarms where there is no sign of fire, small rubbish fires, traffic-management assistance and animal rescues.

Fire and Emergency is asking people to be extra careful during the strike period:

·   Be careful doing anything that could start a fire and do not leave cooking unattended.

·   If there is a fire, get out, stay out and call 111.

·   Make sure smoke alarms are working and everyone knows the household or workplace escape plan.

·   Delay outdoor activities that create heat or sparks where possible.

“We will continue to do everything we can to keep communities safe. Our focus remains on reaching a fair and sustainable outcome and bringing this long-running dispute to an end.”

Notes to editors

·   Under section 50J of the Employment Relations Act, the ERA may fix the provisions of a collective agreement if it is satisfied that a serious and sustained breach of the duty of good faith has significantly undermined bargaining, all other reasonable alternatives for reaching agreement have been exhausted, and fixing the agreement is the only effective remedy.

·   If the ERA is satisfied that the statutory threshold is met and decides it is appropriate to fix terms, both parties would have the opportunity to make submissions on what the collective agreement should contain. The Authority would then determine the provisions of the agreement, which would be binding and enforceable on both parties.

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