Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Parties in Parliament have made statements acknowledging the deadly fire at a Wellington hostel overnight, and praising the lifesaving work of emergency responders.
The fire at Loafers Lodge in the suburb of Newtown left multiple people injured and at least six dead.
Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds began by laying out the events of Monday night.
"I'm advised that the first fire truck arrived at 12.30am, crews found the fire was already well involved. The fire was quickly elevated to fifth alarm, the highest level.
"There were 20 fire appliances on the scene by 4am. At its peak, there were 29 fire crews involved, with more than 80 firefighters from all over Wellington. Fire crews rescued five people off the roof using a specialist aerial appliance. They helped to save many, many lives."
Internal Affairs Minister Barbara Edmonds. (File photo) Photo: ©VNP / Phil Smith
She praised fire and emergency communications staff taking 111 calls from people trapped in the building, saying they too undoubtedly saved lives.
"The toll on our firefighters and communication centre staff is not to be underestimated. The devastation I saw on the faces of those involved was unmistakable."
She thanked Wellington Free Ambulance, police, the city council, city mission and Salvation Army for their efforts, and said the focus now was on responders' wellbeing and investigating the fire.
"At this stage the cause of the fire is unexplained and police will be working alongside Fire and Emergency to determine cause. Police are asking people to please come forward if they or someone they know has been staying at the property: please contact 105 referencing Operation Rose."
She said council staff were leading the welfare response, with staff on site at the Newtown Park Pavilion welfare centre to look after those affected.
Newtown was a multicultural area full of character, she said - a microcosm of the Wellington region - and the community was strong.
"People look out for each other and they love living there. This tragedy will hurt. Our thoughts are with those affected, with the departed, with their friends and family."
National Party deputy leader Nicola Willis added condolences to the family and friends of those who lost their lives, with "the deepest sense of sadness".
"People being pulled from the roofs of burning buildings or escaping by jumping out of windows - it's not something we expect to see in New Zealand," she said. "Yet, today, we've seen it just down the road."
She related a story she and leader Christopher Luxon had heard from one resident of the lodge who escaped after waking to use the bathroom.
"Tears rolled down his face as he recounted what had occurred in the night, clearly traumatized not only for fear of those who had lost their lives but also by what had occurred and the displacement that he will have to endure over the coming weeks as he tries to find a new home."
Nicola Willis speaks to media at the scene of the fire. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
She said the emergency responders were "the very best of us, they were so brave, so self-effacing".
"One of the firefighters I spoke to told me of his concern for those on the communications lines overnight, some of whom apparently were speaking with those trapped in the building - and some of those calls ended very abruptly.
"The pain on the faces of the firefighters and emergency services staff was evident, and let there be no doubt had it not been for the response last night and their valour, many more would have died. They are heroes and their bravery in the face of danger and devastation is simply inspirational. They ran into a blazing fire risking their lives in order to fight for the lives of others."
She said they were pledging to support them with the ongoing trauma from the event.
"There will come a time for questions. And those questions will deserve answers. Today is not that day. But I respectfully asked the government please engage the opposition as you form Terms of Reference for the investigation into this event and how it came to pass."
She also thanked the paramedics and hospital staff, the city mission and local churches that had helped.
ACT leader David Seymour said he supported the words of Edmonds and Willis, "offering our thoughts, prayers and sympathies to those who have perished and this dreadful disaster - and I say dreadful because while New Zealand has its share of terrible tragedies, there are few that can bring the dread of people perishing in a fire".
He extended condolences to those who had lost loved ones, colleagues and neighbours "for whom this will be a terrible shot to wake up to this morning".
"We should be truly grateful to live in a country where the innate character of the people who do those jobs means the best of them comes out precisely when it is needed to rise to that challenge."
David Seymour (File photo) Photo:
He too said the time for questions of policy and wrongdoing was "certainly not today, it is when the full facts and evidence have been gathered by the appropriate authorities".
Green Party co-leader James Shaw added the party's "deepest sympathies and condolences to the whānau and the colleagues and the friends of those who have lost their lives this morning".
"It is a tragedy for those directly involved and for the Wellington community at large."
He said the victims were among the most vulnerable and marginalised members of the community, and "they deserve our respect and our support".
He too thanked emergency responders for their quick actions that saved many lives, but growing evidently emotional he took a different tack from Willis and Seymour on the matter of asking questions, saying while he respected their view he was "very, very angry".
James Shaw. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
"Because the questions in my mind are what kind of country are we, that we allow this kind of thing to happen to our most vulnerable members of our community? What kind of country are we, where those people have so few options in life but to live in substandard accommodation, with a reasonable chance of lethality?
"What kind of country are we where we would not raise a building code because we're worried we might be accused of issuing a war on landlords ... where our firefighters lack, or at risk of not showing up with the most basic of equipment to be able to fight these kinds of events."
He questioned Edmonds about the adequacy of the Building Code and fire safety requirements, the resourcing of firefighters, and the efforts of the government to support vulnerable people.
She said she'd had numerous conversations with the Prime Minister and Cabinet colleagues, but it was too early to rule anything in or out; she had confidence in FENZ; and she acknowledged the support services at Newtown Park now.
Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi gave a karakia, speech and waiata all in te reo Māori.
