New Zealand’s frontline firefighters – the brave men and women who run toward danger while the rest of us run away – are being betrayed. Betrayed by a bloated, unaccountable organisation called Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) that prioritises glossy PR, executive salaries, and endless bureaucracy over the basic tools needed to save lives. While FENZ’s leadership paints a rosy picture of progress and investment, the reality on the ground is a scandalous nightmare of breakdowns, hazards, and neglect. This is not incompetence – this is criminal negligence that will cost lives if not exposed and dismantled immediately.
Former All Black Steve Devine, a 14-year veteran firefighter at Avondale Station, has had enough. He’s blown the whistle loud and clear, directly challenging politicians and FENZ brass who downplay the crisis. Devine has pointed to “multiple incidents where firefighters and the public had been put at risk by faulty fire trucks.” He accuses FENZ of misleading even Deputy Prime Minister David Seymour about the true scale of appliance failures, stating bluntly that “at least one truck breaks down every day.” In one chilling example, he described a Whangarei appliance that ‘broke down at a structure fire; they were lucky the firefighters were not inside the structure at the time.’ Another: “The siren stopped working on the way to a call. Then a spotlight in the cab caught on fire.”
Devine hasn’t minced words on the so-called “new” fleet either: “Many of those trucks were older trucks – upgraded or refurbished” – and he states they “got a single new truck approximately 8-years ago, but that has been a complete lemon”. FENZ claims 317 trucks replaced since 2017 and 78 more on order, but Devine and his colleagues know the truth – these are often refurbished relics passed off as upgrades, prone to the same catastrophic failures. Pretending old appliances with limited fitouts are “new vehicles” isn’t just a stretch; it’s a dangerous lie.
After spending hours with Steve Devine and three other frontline firefighters, the snapshot they provided was damning:
– Daily appliance breakdowns putting crews and the public in immediate danger.
– Lack of fit-for-purpose equipment, with trucks shopping from the bargain bin rather than battle-tested suppliers.
– Dilapidated stations riddled with black mould, asbestos, and other health hazards – Auckland City Station has been shut down multiple times due to asbestos contamination, exposing crews to carcinogens while FENZ drags its feet on remediation.
– No proper budget for mental health support, leaving firefighters to battle trauma alone.
– Understaffing so severe that responses are delayed or short-crewed.
– Faulty hoses, obsolete gas detectors, and a complete absence of accountability in procurement.
Where is WorkSafe New Zealand in all this? Silent. No outcry, no enforcement, while firefighters breathe in asbestos and mould. This isn’t oversight – it’s complicity.
FENZ has ballooned into a top-heavy bureaucracy since its 2017 rebranding from the old New Zealand Fire Service. The same players remain, shirking responsibility under a new logo. Hundreds of millions in levies flow in – nearly $800 million in 2024-25 – yet where does the money go? High wages for executives? Endless corporate restructuring? Dubious procurement deals influenced by lobbyists pushing preferred (and substandard) suppliers? Who are these procurement personnel? What happens in those closed-door “negotiations”? Who signs off on equipment that’s clearly not fit for purpose, and why are they never held accountable when systemic failures endanger lives?
The solution is staring FENZ in the face, but they refuse to see it because it threatens their empire. Frontline crews know exactly what they need. Give stations direct control of their budgets, in the hands of experienced station chiefs who live the reality every shift. Not out-of-touch bureaucrats who agree in private but lack the guts to fight for their people.
Firefighters who dare speak out – like Devine – are chastised, silenced, or sidelined. If this continues, the unacceptable loss of life is inevitable. Any death from equipment failure, delayed response, or health neglect rests squarely on FENZ leadership and the politicians who enable them.
FENZ’s spin machine claims they’re “on top of issues” and “investing in the fleet.” Bullshit. The dogged truth from the frontline is clear: New Zealand’s fire service is in a hell of a state.
Enough. Demand better. We need a full, independent forensic audit of FENZ by an external agency – follow the money, expose the waste, the lobbyists, the corruption at the highest levels. Track every dollar like a New Zealand version of DOGE: ruthless efficiency, zero tolerance for bloat. Probe top management. Remediate every hazardous station. Fund mental health properly. Equip our firefighters like warriors, not “also-rans.”
This is about lives – the publics and the heroes who protect us. No more excuses. No more rebrands hiding failure. Act now, or blood will be on FENZ’s hands. The frontline has spoken. It’s time the rest of us listened – and forced change.
