Fire and Emergency received calls for 17 incidents during today’s strike

20 March 2026

Fire and Emergency New Zealand received calls for 17 incidents between 12pm and 1pm today, Friday 20 March, the twentieth time the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) has taken strike action.

Of the 17 incidents, 10 were in areas impacted by the strike.

Six were false alarms. Two were calls to backyard rubbish fires and one was a minor gas leak.

One was a small stovetop fire, which had been extinguished before Fire and Emergency’s arrival.

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

“A significant gap remains between the parties and to date the NZPFU have not recognised the constraints within which Fire and Emergency must operate, again making achieving a settlement very challenging.

“Fire and Emergency’s most recent offer compares favourably with other public sector settlements and would have delivered 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 was not financially realistic at a time where we are significantly 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 dangerous strikes while we remain in discussions to progress negotiations. It is irresponsible to put the community at risk while we try to resolve this dispute.

“We appreciate the dedication of the volunteers, Operational Commanders and Communication Centre Managers who managed the strike response.

“We remind the public that emergency responses between midday-1pm on Fridays and Mondays will be delayed,” says Megan Stiffler.