Career firefighter Doug Buchanan (front) was among firefighters from the union in Gisborne on Wednesday gathering signatures for a petition calling for a public inquiry into Fire and Emergency funding decisions. Photo / Anne-Marie de Bruin
Career firefighter Doug Buchanan (front) was among firefighters from the union in Gisborne on Wednesday gathering signatures for a petition calling for a public inquiry into Fire and Emergency funding decisions. Photo / Anne-Marie de Bruin
Gisborne firefighters have highlighted disruptions with some station facilities as nationwide calls continue for a public inquiry into Fire and Emergency funding decisions.
Improvements at the Gisborne Fire Station are being made to prepare for the arrival of more full-time staff in the region.
The welcome boost in Tairāwhiti comesamid ongoing New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) strikes.
They took to the streets this week to gather signatures for an independent inquiry into Fire and Emergency New Zealand, claiming it has “failed to manage funding to ensure that it has the capacity and capability for reliable emergency response to the New Zealand public”.
“Fenz management has not agreed to a meeting for bargaining since March and has been docking our wages for the hours we strike, rather than meet to attempt to negotiate a new contract,” Gisborne NZPFU secretary Carl Shaw said.
“Occupational cancer recognition is also one of our big topics. Firefighters (career and volunteer) are far more likely to get certain types of cancer, and having that formally recognised will greatly speed up the process to receive treatment and support.”
Deputy national commander Ken Cooper said after strikes earlier this month that Fire and Emergency continued to urge the union to call off the strikes while discussions to progress negotiations were ongoing.
“The NZPFU’s continued industrial action puts the community at risk.”
In another statement, he said Fire and Emergency was “focused on achieving a fair and sustainable settlement” with the union.
The union called off a planned strike from midday to 1pm yesterday to acknowledge a fatal house fire in Christchurch on Thursday night.
Upgraded facilities at Gisborne fire station have been welcomed, but concerns have been raised about disruptions to facilities. Photo / NZME
Posts by the NZPFU on Facebook this week criticised the closure of female firefighters’ showers and the gym facilities at the Gisborne station.
“When renovations started in Gisborne, they simply closed the female showers with zero warning. The ‘solution’ from management? A $10 slide bolt on the men’s door. It took a local charity, Atawhai Charitable Trust, to donate a portable shower so our female firefighters could have basic dignity,” one post said.
A second said the station’s gym had been closed “with just two days’ notice and no alternative”.
“How can Fenz demand elite fitness standards while refusing to provide the bare minimum facilities to achieve them?”
Gisborne YMCA offered firefighters the use of its gym.
Shaw said, “The Gisborne station is currently under renovation to prepare for the extra staff that are arriving this year, which we are thrilled about. Having eight full-time staff is what the station has been fighting for over a decade.”
However, the firefighters were disappointed by the gym and shower issues.
“Both these issues were easily foreseen (because they are part of the rebuild, so there was going to come a point when those facilities would become unavailable), but no contingency was put in place, and the solution had to be organised by firefighters and provided for by charities. Huge thank you to Atawhai and YMCA and CityFitness – we really appreciate your help.”
Fire and Emergency said it provided gender‑neutral facilities in new builds and major upgrades.
“At the Gisborne Fire Station project, the improvement works were planned in six stages to ensure construction could be carried out safely while the station remained operational.”
The female ablutions block, demolished on February 13, was originally scheduled for replacement at a later stage of the project.
“This sequencing was intended to minimise disruption by ensuring upgraded alternative facilities were available first.
“In February 2026, the contractor advanced the demolition of this block to gain efficiencies in the wider programme. Due to a miscommunication, this change did not follow the agreed approval process, and the demolition occurred before the upgraded ablutions facilities were in place.”
The bolt‑lock was installed as an immediate health, safety and wellbeing measure on the remaining showers to ensure privacy.
“After the demolition occurred and the immediate bolt-lock solution was installed, a more suitable temporary solution was then put in place. A shower pod, donated by a local charitable trust, was installed and operational by 18 February 2026, five days after the demolition.”
Fire and Emergency said upgraded gender‑neutral ablutions within the station were on track to be finished by the end of this month, and the temporary pod would no longer be needed.
“The communication and planning issues that led to the change in sequencing have been addressed with the contractor and project team. The overall project remains on track for delivery for circa January 2027.”
