Keep fire safety top of mind today as paid firefighters strike again at midday

19 December 2025

"Fire and Emergency New Zealand is urging people to be extra careful with fire safety today as New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union members strke for the sixth time for an hour from midday.

"Every time the paid firefighters strike they put people's safety at risk," Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler says.

"People and businesses, especially those in cities and towns served by paid firefighters, must be on the alert with fire safety today," she says.

"Should there be a fire, people should evacuate early and, once out, stay out, and call 111.

"People should also check their smoke alarms and their escape plans and not carry out any activities that could cause a fire."

Megan Stiffler says Fire and Emergency New Zealand will continue to answer 111 calls during the one-hour strike and respond to fires in affected areas.

"But there will be delays in our response times in areas impacted by the strike because we’ll be dispatching our volunteers from further away - as we do when there are multiple emergencies at one time," she says.

"I want to reassure people that this strike action will not affect most of the country.

"The vast majority of communities are protected by our more than 11,800 volunteers in nearly 600 stations across New Zealand, who will respond as usual."

Megan Stiffler says the Employment Relations Authority has confirmed new dates for independent facilitation in Christchurch on 26 and 27 January 2026.

"Independent facilitation in good faith is the best avenue for the parties to reach agreement, rather than strikes that compromise public safety," she says.

Note to editors

• During the one-hour strike today, and to ensure our resources are focused where they are needed most, Fire and Emergency will prioritise emergencies. As a result, we may not respond to less serious incidents in cities and towns during the hour. This might include not responding to private fire alarms where there is no evidence of fire, small rubbish fires, assisting traffic management, and animal rescues.

• We have notified Hato Hone St John and Wellington Free Ambulance that, for the one-hour strike, our volunteer crews won’t be able to respond to medical calls outside their patch.

• Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union have been in bargaining talks for a collective employment agreement for paid firefighters since 16 July 2024.

• Fire and Emergency’s most recent offer made prior to facilitation was a 6.2 percent increase over three years and compares favourably with equivalent public sector agreements.

• Fire and Emergency considers the offer to be sustainable, balance cost of living pressures being faced by individuals alongside fiscal pressures faced by Fire and Emergency and consistent with the Government Workforce Policy Statement.

• The previous 2022 collective employment agreement settlement provided a cumulative wage increase of up to 24 percent over a three-year period for paid firefighters.

• Fire and Emergency has also been investing in replacing our fleet. We’ve taken delivery of 317 new trucks since 2017 and have another 78 on order. This includes taking possession of 15 new firefighting trucks which are bound for metropolitan paid firefighters over the next few months.

• We are currently spending over $20 million per year on replacement trucks. There is also a significant programme of station upgrades underway, as well as investment in training.

• For the 2025/26 financial year, Fire and Emergency’s operating budget is $857.9 million. Of that operating budget, 59 percent will be spent directly on the frontline, while another 32 percent is spent on frontline enablers. This means that over 90 percent of Fire and Emergency’s budget is spent on the frontline and the people directly supporting the frontline.