The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union has kick-started the Hamilton Firefighters Trust fund with $20,000.

The Union formed the Charitable Trust to receive donations to provide financial support and assistance to the families of those killed or injured at the Tamahere fire.

NZPFU National Secretary Derek Best says that "this is a trust established by firefighters for firefighters".

"Both the firefighters and their families directly involved in this tragedy will need a wide range of support for many months, and assistance from this trust will be of great help."

The Union established the Trust particularly to provide a formal legal structure to dispense the funds received. The distribution of funds collected will be determined by those best to know the areas of need – Firefighters in Hamilton.

The Trust has opened a bank account to receive donations:

Account Name: Hamilton Firefighters Trust
Bank: ANZ, Petone Branch
Account Number: 01-0542-0140032-03

Deposits will be accepted at any branch of the ANZ Bank or alternatively you can direct credit the account using internet or phone banking services.