Fire and Emergency received calls for 22 incidents during today’s strike

19 June 2026

Fire and Emergency New Zealand received calls for 22 incidents between midday and 1pm today, Friday 19 June, the forty-first time the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) has taken strike action. 

Of the 22 incidents, 11 were in areas impacted by the strike. 

Two were for medical events that were left in the hands of Hato Hone St John, as per our contingency plans

Two were motor vehicle crashes, four were false alarms and three were minor incidents.

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