170224 CHRIS SKELTON / POOL Firefighters continue their efforts on Saturday as they work to dampen down remaining hot spots and create a buffer zone around the 24km perimeter fire ground in Christchurch's Port Hills. Photo: CHRIS SKELTON
Forest owners and farmers want a review into Fire and Emergency NZ, saying wildfire specialist skills and capability is being lost. In 2017 the National Rural Fire Authority, 12 rural fire districts, and 26 territorial rural authorities merged with the New Zealand Fire Service and the Fire Service Commission, to become Fire and Emergency NZ.
The change gave the new entity - referred to as FENZ - the legal mandate to respond to a wider range of emergencies and weather events - something it was previously doing outside of its legislation.
The change also promised better co-ordination across the country, centralised training and funding and better support for volunteers.
But, eight years on forest owners and farmers say rural capability has been eroded in favour of those wider emergency response capabilities as well as a priority to urban and residential firefighting.
And with rural property owners soon to be forced to pay a levy towards Fire and Emergency's running costs, the question they have is - what's in it for us?
Sean McBride is the chair of the joint Forest Owners Association and Farm Forestry Association fire committee and Toby Williams is a board member at Federated Farmers.
