New station officially opened

Hikurangi chief fire officer Snow Buckton about to open the doors to the new fire station after its blessing on Saturday morning.

A new fire station at Hikurangi has been blessed at a dawn service.

Twelve months after the old station was levelled, work has finished on the replacement, which was blessed at a ceremony on Saturday.

Hikurangi chief fire officer Snow Buckton said the new station was an asset to the Hikurangi community and surrounding areas the fire team serviced.

"The station will have all the modern facilities needed these days and cater to male and female volunteers."

Mr Buckton has served with the brigade for 35 years, with 14 as chief, and can remember joining when there were just 12 callouts a year.

"We nearly get that much in a week these days."

The brigade has 20 firefighters and seven operational support personnel. During the rebuild the team has been working out of a space at the former dairy factory in central Hikurangi.

The brigade has been operating for 100 years and is celebrating its centenary later this year.