Firefighters battle a blaze at a Middle Eastern grocery on Cortina Place, Pakūranga. Photo / Jason Dorday
Firefighters battle a blaze at a Middle Eastern grocery on Cortina Place, Pakūranga. Photo / Jason Dorday
Tensions continue to grow between the firefighters’ union and their employer after an Auckland business was gutted by a blaze while crews were on strike this afternoon.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand accused firefighters of “gambling with the public’s safety” amid a years-long pay dispute.
The New Zealand ProfessionalFirefighters Union (NZPFU) hit back, calling the comments “disgusting” and claiming the organisation was throwing stones while the building was still burning.
The blaze broke out this afternoon at an industrial building housing a Middle Eastern grocery in the suburb of Pakūranga, next to the Pakūranga Highway.
One person is in a serious condition at Middlemore Hospital.
Fire and Emergency criticised striking firefighters in a post on social media. It said it took 30 minutes for volunteers to turn up to the incident, which could have been attended in seven minutes if the Mt Wellington station was staffed.
One person is in hospital after a large fire broke out at an industrial building in Pakūranga, Auckland, today. Photo / Jason Dorday
“This is exactly why we have been calling on the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union to call off these strikes while we are in the process of facilitation with the Employee Relations Authority,” the organisation said.
“By going on strike and rejecting calls to set up a process to respond to more serious incidents the NZPFU are gambling with the public’s safety.”
Fire and Emergency and the NZPFU have been in bargaining talks for a collective employment agreement for paid firefighters since July 2024.
NZPFU vice-president Martin Campbell said the post by Fire and Emergency was “disgusting”.
“To be frank, it’s incredibly disappointing Fire and Emergency are blaming firefighters and 111 emergency dispatchers for their failures to actually present a fair and reasonable offer for almost two years to the membership and has allowed the situation to drag on to the state that, unfortunately, today’s terrible event, has occurred,” Campbell said.
“I think it’s a little bit disgusting, to be perfectly honest, that they’re throwing stones at a moment when, obviously, the building is still on fire.”
New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union members take part in strike action near Auckland City Fire Station in October 2025 as pay talks rumble on. Photo / Alyse Wright
“It’s actually quite tragic that they’re trying to lay blame for their failures and the chief executive’s and the board’s failures to run the organisation properly.”
Campbell said the situation should be “a wake-up call” to Fire and Emergency.
“It just goes to show the public that fire is incredibly fast, and this highlights how incredibly important it is to have a properly funded and resourced fire and emergency service, especially in Auckland, the largest city in New Zealand, with 1.6 million people,” he told the Herald.
“Hopefully, this will be a wake-up to the organisation – and maybe it will be a wake-up to the Government to start thinking that maybe they need to start getting involved.”
Campbell confirmed firefighters were deployed to the blaze as soon as the industrial action ended at 1pm.
“As soon as the strike finished, they jumped in their trucks and raced straight over to the fire,” he said.
“It’s important that the organisation takes on board their past failures: not properly resourcing the organisation, not supplying enough firefighters, not supplying working fire trucks or equipment that works properly.”
Fire and Emergency said it received calls for 22 incidents between noon and 1pm today, the eighth time the NZPFU has taken strike action.
“Of these, 12 incidents were in areas impacted by the strike,” the organisation said in a statement.
Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler said: “As a career firefighter, I am appalled to see the NZPFU use someone’s tragedy as a punch line.
“We again urge the NZPFU to call off planned one-hour strikes at noon on January 16 and 23.”
