Senior firefighters earlier told RNZ the focus of the restructure appeared to be on a rejig to go from five operational regions down to three. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi
Fire and Emergency (FENZ) says it will continue to respond to severe weather events.
FENZ is making organisational changes to focus on its core business, with a proposal due out to staff next week.
It said it was funded to carry out "additional" activities outlined in law, such as responding to medical emergencies and swift water rescues.
Two Waikato volunteer stations have expressed dismay over FENZ grounding all powered rescue watercraft, saying it does not have the capability or capacity for that.
FENZ has six swift water teams that use non-powered rafts.
"We continue to respond to severe weather events, and it is scaremongering to suggest otherwise," FENZ said on Thursday in a statement.
"We are funded to carry out our Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017, section 12 activities but only where we have the capability and capacity to deliver our section 11 activities first. We need to invest into those areas rather than take on new capabilities."
Section 11 core activities are around firefighting, urban search and rescue, hazardous substances, rescuing people trapped in transport accidents and some regulatory functions.
Senior firefighters earlier told RNZ the focus of the restructure appeared to be on a rejig to go from five operational regions down to three.
However, FENZ said: "It is pure speculation that regions are moving from five to three and it is not at all appropriate to report rumours."
The Professional Firefighters' Union had expressed concern the organisational changes might jeopardise new paid firefighters being taken on.
FENZ said a resource assessment would be finished by Christmas and "once this work is done, that will be the point at which a decision on whether any expansion in frontline resourcing is required, including where and when".
"Any requirements for an uplift in firefighter numbers will need to be put through an approval scheduling process which is the normal procedure."
It ran a minimum of two courses for new recruits a year to account for attrition, such as retirements.
It ran four courses a year "if the attrition rate is higher than expected".
The January 2026 course was not needed because its Auckland districts were currently overstaffed, it said.
A course in April 2026 was going ahead, and this and two others would address attrition and allow Gisborne to add another nine firefighters.
A 2022 workforce study found the average age of career firefighters was 45, though many senior officers were over 55.
The study forecast a relatively stable workforce in the next decade but also told FENZ it "should consider a steady increase in recruits over time to ensure any gaps are filled before becoming critical".
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