More than 52,000 people have signed the NZPFU petition calling for an independent inquiry into FENZ to ensure it is properly resourced to have the capacity and capability for reliable emergency response.
NZPFU members are striking from 12 noon to 1:00 pm tomorrow (Wednesday) and will join off-duty members and public supporters on the Parliament steps to present the petition.
Select Committee Chair Jan Tinetti will accept the petition alongside other Committee MPs on the steps of Parliament.
The NZPFU has been calling for a full inquiry into the management of FENZ funding. The Union supported the recent Parliamentary Inquiry into the fleet and welcomed its recent report. However, a full inquiry into the overarching management of FENZ and its expenditure is urgently needed if FENZ is to be held to account and required to properly resource emergency response.
Last week, the Parliamentary Governance and Administration Select Committee released its damning report into the management of the FENZ fleet. The report called for "a rapid reset of culture" through returning to a focus on operational priorities and risks. The report vindicated what the NZPFU membership has been saying for years—accepting that there is a significant and serious issue not just with the dire state of the fleet, but a wider systemic failure to manage funding for the organisation's operational core.
On repeated occasions, FENZ failed to provide the Committee with accurate and clear information, presenting evidence that was at times considered "deliberately misleading".
The report recorded a lack of confidence in the Board's leadership and went so far as recommending that the Government consider whether FENZ should even retain the power to procure fleet and other services without formal oversight and intervention. The Committee stated:
"The number of additional issues raised that sit outside the scope of this inquiry points to a potential wider issue within FENZ that is of concern. This significant and serious issue with the fleet must be addressed with urgency, but it is likely that it is a symptom of a wider issue regarding the capacity and capability of FENZ that has developed over its nearly 10 years of existence."
The Report reaffirms the need for a full, independent inquiry.
Last week, Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden publicly declared she had no confidence in FENZ CE Kerry Gregory after learning he withheld information on a serious matter that has since been referred to the Serious Fraud Office:
"In the last couple of weeks I have become aware of a serious breach of the no surprises principle within Fire and Emergency. It is of a nature that is so significant that I no longer have confidence in the chief executive of Fire and Emergency, or have confidence that the information I am receiving is correct."
While the Minister was not prepared to disclose the full details of the matter now before the SFO, it was reported to relate to levies paid through insurance contracts. The Fire Service Levy paid through insurance is the primary source of FENZ's funding.
If the Minister cannot be confident that the information she is receiving is correct, there must be a robust, independent inquiry into the management of funding and whether FENZ possesses the capacity or capability to provide emergency response services as required under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017.
All NZPFU members and supporters are asked to gather at the Richard Seddon Statue in front of the Parliament steps from 12 noon tomorrow. The formal presentation of the petition will take place at approximately 12:20 pm to allow striking workers time to assemble.
In unity,
Wattie Watson
National Secretary
