The NZPFU and PSA have filed joint proceedings in the Employment Relations Authority seeking compliance orders with an earlier Employment Relations Authority decision that found FENZ had failed to consult in accordance with the unions’ employment agreements.

FENZ dropped a 230-page restructure affecting hundreds of jobs in November last year.  The NZPFU and PSA quickly filed a joint action to enforce the two unions’ consultation provisions.

In March 2026, the Employment Relations Authority determined that FENZ had breached both collective agreements, and its duty of good faith, by failing to properly consult.  In addition, the determination proved that FENZ had wrongly claimed victory in interim decision which had set out the rights under the consultation clause.  

In September, FENZ wrote to staff pushing on with the restructure despite failing to properly consult with the Unions.  

In September, the Parliamentary Governance and Administration Committee released its damning report of the Inquiry into the FENZ’s fleet management and related issues.  The Report exposes failures that have led to the dire state of the fleet, but also highly criticises FENZ for their failure to provide accurate information in a timely manner.  The Report details the Committee had good reason not to believe the information senior leadership had provided and found that some was “deliberately misleading”.  CE Kerry Gregory and Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler presented before the Select Committee, both publicly and in private, on a number of occasions, including when FENZ was required to come back to correct information or to provide answers to specific questions.  The Committee was also scathing of FENZ spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on consultants and lawyers for the Inquiry.  In comparison, NZPFU members were able to provide accurate and up to date information on the fleet and other issues and did not engage consultants or lawyers to help them.

On the day the Report was debated in Parliament the Minister for Internal Affairs Brooke Van Veldon informed the public that she had no confidence in CE Kerry Gregory as he had failed to notify her of critical information regarding historical administration of the fire services levy and that he had done so for over a year.  The administration of the fire service levy is now before the Serious Fraud Office and on the limited information provided to date is about the period up to 2021.  The Minister also released that FENZ had spent approximately $500,000 on the issue before she was informed.

CE Kerry Gregory was representing FENZ at an international fire conference and then on a personal holiday when the Report was released and the Minister announced she had no confidence in him. 

In September,  the NZPFU and PSA Jointly wrote to the new Board Chair Raveen Jaduram asking him to suspend the process until genuine consultation had properly occurred.  We also raised the context of the Minister’s loss of confidence, and the findings of the select committee that there had been deliberate misleading information provided.  A restructure that broadly affects the whole of the organisation and has been designed and driven by CE Kerry Gregory should be fully examined before it is pushed through. 

The NZPFU has had to litigate numerous times in the past few years just to protect the rights of our members, including parental leave payments which FENZ appealed to the Employment Court.  

Having to take this matter back to the Authority to seek compliance is another example.

FENZ’s conduct, including conduct we see as wage theft behaviour over recent times, is an indictment on the disrespect FENZ has for our members and their rights.

We will keep members informed.

For more information on the case filed in November 2025 and the March determination go to:

• ERA RULES FENZ BREACHED GOOD FAITH AND NZPFU AND PSA COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS BY FAILING TO CONSULT
• NZPFU AND PSA FILE JOINT LEGAL ACTION AGAINST FENZ’S RESTRUCTURE

In unity,
Wattie Watson
National Secretary