Fire and Emergency received calls for 12 incidents during today’s strike

29 April 2026

Fire and Emergency New Zealand received calls for 12 incidents between 7.30am and 8.30am today, Wednesday 29 April, the twenty-eighth time the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) has taken strike action.

Of the 12 incidents, six were in areas impacted by the strike.

One was a medical incident which was managed by Hato Hone St John as per contingency planning, one was for a rescue, and one was for a hazardous gas call.

Three calls were to private fire alarm activations.  

“Fire and Emergency remains committed to achieving a fair and sustainable settlement so we can continue working to keep communities safe,” Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler says.

“Fire and Emergency’s most recent offer compares favourably with other public sector settlements and would deliver a 6.2 percent pay increase by November 2027, at a cost of $32.7 million through to July 2028.

“By comparison, the NZPFU’s settlement proposal came to approximately $120 million over the same period. That is not financially realistic at a time where we are reducing staffing levels in other areas of the organisation and when we also have to keep investing in the trucks and equipment our people need to do their jobs safely.

“We continue to call on the NZPFU to call off these reckless strikes while we remain in discussions to progress negotiations. It is irresponsible to put the community at risk while we work to resolve this dispute.

“We acknowledge and appreciate the dedication of the volunteers, Operational Commanders and Communication Centre Managers who manage the strike responses.

“We remind the public that emergency responses will be delayed when strike action takes place,” Megan Stiffler says.