Firefighters set to strike for 10 hours a week after rejecting pay offer
The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union plans nationwide walkouts starting November 27, citing a stalemate with Fire and Emergency over wages.
By Alessia Desai ·
New Zealand firefighters will walk off the job for 10 hours every week starting November 27 unless the government intervenes in their wage dispute. The New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) has secured approval from members to stage simultaneous strikes across 19 towns and cities. The action, scheduled from 1pm to 11pm daily, follows a vote in which 99% of union members rejected the latest pay offer from their employer.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) proposed a 2.5% pay rise for the first year and 2.2% for the second. The union, however, had requested an 18.5% increase over two years. Eighty-eight percent of voting members agreed to the proposed 10-hour strikes, signaling a shift from the smaller walkouts that have occurred recently.
Wattie Watson, the national secretary for the NZPFU, stated that the union intends to cancel the large-scale strikes if the government formed after Saturday’s general election steps in to assist with bargaining. Watson argued that the agency lacks the trust and resources to reach a fair deal independently. “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,” she said.
Watson noted that the decision to strike was made with a “heavy heart” but was necessary due to FENZ’s position. She pointed to operational failures, including truck malfunctions and staffing shortages, as evidence that the agency already poses risks to the public. “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,” she said.
Megan Stiffler, the national commander for Fire and Emergency, warned that the weekly 10-hour strikes would create an “extreme risk to public safety.” She explained that while volunteer crews would continue to respond to incidents, they lack the specialized skills, equipment, and coverage provided by paid firefighters. Stiffler described the union’s 18.5% claim as “unrealistic in the current environment” compared to other public sector agreements.
The dispute has intensified after 72 one-hour strikes were held since October 2025. Firefighters have not received a pay rise since July 2023. Stiffler said the agency had offered terms comparable to other public sector deals but accused the union of being “wholly uncommitted” to settling. She noted that while FENZ accepted a request from the Employment Relations Authority to make a best offer, the union did not.
The union’s next move depends on the outcome of the general election held on Saturday. If the government does not intervene to facilitate a settlement, the 10-hour walkouts will begin on November 27.
