Firefighters union threatens 10 hours strikes, FENZ warns of 'extreme risk'

The professional firefighters union is threatening four 10-hour strikes, if the government doesn't step in to help bargaining with its employer.

The NZPFU has rejected Fire and Emergency's latest offer of a 2.2 percent pay rise for firefighters, and voted for nationwide weekly strikes from 1pm till 11pm, starting on 27 November.

All union members in 19 towns and cities across the country would be striking at the same time.

Fire and Emergency (FENZ) has warned the decision will create an "extreme risk to public safety," and could have fatal consequences.

But NZPFU national secretary Wattie Watson said the industrial action would be called off if the next government stepped in to help settle bargaining with FENZ after the election.

"With the right people in the room, and access to some funding, and then we can pull those strikes off. It's a pretty easy fix, and we're hoping that whoever is that coalition, they will do the right thing."

Watson said "no-one trusts FENZ" to negotiate a fair agreement on its own.

Firefighters were striking with a "heavy heart", she said, but FENZ had given them no choice.

"FENZ will claim that our members are putting the community at risk. FENZ is putting the community at risk everyday. With the failure of trucks, the lack of staffing."

Fire and Emergency national commander Megan Stiffler said the escalation in strikes could have fatal consequences.

"We will do everything practically possible to protect the public, but there are significant gaps in the emergency response we can provide that simply cannot be filled."

Stiffler called on the NZPFU to reconsider its decision.

"Fire and Emergency has provided several offers that are comparable with other public sector agreements, while the NZPFU's claim was for 18.5 percent increase over two years, which is unrealistic in the current environment."

She said the NZPFU seemed "wholly uncommitted" to coming to an agreement.

"We've participated in independent facilitation through the Employment Relations Authority, which recently asked both parties to put forward their best offer. Fire and Emergency agreed to do so, the NZPFU did not."

Volunteers would still respond to incidents, but "we cannot replicate the specialist skills, equipment, and coverage normally provided by paid firefighter", she said.

The NZPFU said 99 percent of its members rejected the FENZ offer of a 2.2 percent pay rise, and 88 percent agreed to the 10 hour strikes.

The union has held 72 one-hour strikes since October 2025.

It said firefighters had not had a pay rise since July 2023.