The New Zealand Professional Firefighters' Union has criticised appointments to the Fire and Emergency NZ board as lacking first-hand firefighting experience. Photo / Nick Reed
The New Zealand Professional Firefighters' Union has criticised appointments to the Fire and Emergency NZ board as lacking first-hand firefighting experience. Photo / Nick Reed
None of the Fire and Emergency New Zealand board have first-hand firefighting or emergency response experience, a highly critical union letter says.
The letter, released to the Herald under the Official Information Act, was sent to Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin shortly before she announced two new appointments and the reappointment of one member to the board on June 27 this year.
But Fire and Emergency said the board members had "considerable practical experience in fire and emergency response".
In the letter to Martin, New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union national secretary Derek Best said appointment of board directors who had some knowledge and competency in the field of firefighting was critical.
"Firefighters have been very concerned that the board, deciding matters that affect a vital emergency service, does not have on it persons who have any experience in the field of firefighting or emergency response," Best wrote on June 22.
"The previous governing legislation had a requirement that at least one member should have senior firefighting operational experience, and that was a very sensible provision."
In announcing the appointments of Wendie Harvey and Malcolm Inglis and the reappointment of Te Arohanui Cook to the board, Martin said Fire and Emergency New was coming up a year old and it was "vital the board continues to have the right leadership in place to ensure the benefits of the fire service reforms are realised".
"Each member brings unique attributes and experiences that will contribute positively to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand board's current focus," Martin said.
"I am confident in the ability of these members to provide invaluable knowledge while working toward better fire services for our communities."
Harvey is a consultant for excellence in Business Solutions Limited, and holds appointments on government and private and voluntary boards.
She has state sector governance experience and skills in organisational change.
Inglis is a self-employed management consultant holding appointments across a number of Government and private and volunteer boards.
He has knowledge of large-scale organisational and sector change and workplace relations, Martin said.
Cook is an independent consultant at Horizon Consultancy with appointments across additional Government, private and volunteer boards.
"She has a good knowledge of the voluntary and rural fire sector and senior operational firefighting experience."
Former Labour MP Paul Swain is now Fire and Emergency NZ board chairman. New appointments to the board have been criticised by the union. Photo / Ross Setford
But in an email to board chairman Paul Swain on the day of the announcement, Best said there was nothing in any of the appointee's CVs that gave any confidence to operational firefighters.
"Extremely disappointing to the front line that the new appointees don't make up for the appalling lack of experience, knowledge and expertise regarding the Fire Service and emergency services in general," Best wrote.
In his original letter he also criticised the board's appointment of a "civilian chief executive", contrary to what was seen to be international best practice.
In the OIA response to the Herald, office of the chief executive director Leigh Deuchars, contradicted Best saying it was worth noting members of the board had "considerable practical experience in fire and emergency response".
She said Cook served as principal rural fire officer for central Hawke's Bay and had significant involvement with rural fire training while Inglis was an independent director of and volunteer with LandSAR (New Zealand Land Search and Rescue).
Swain led the independent review of the Fire Service in 2012 and deputy chair Dr Nicola Crauford was previously the chairwoman of Wellington Rural Fire Authority.
The final board member, Peter Drummond was the former chairman of the United Fire Brigades Association.
