Christchurch firefighters took part in their 56th strike this year, as the long running dispute between the firefighters' union and Fire and Emergency New Zealand continues.
Strike action takes place between 12-1pm twice a week now as the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union continues to push for changes to pay, staffing levels and better working equipment.
Union southern branch vice president Aaron McKay said firefighters wanted to come to work knowing they had the resources and conditions to do their jobs.
Christchurch City senior firefighter Michael Stewart said it was emotionally challenging for firefighters to stand up for what they believed was right, while knowing the potential impact of strike action.
“We live in this city, so every time we walk away our houses are unprotected, our families that are driving and our loved ones are unprotected from car crashes,” Stewart said.
McKay also acknowledged the impact of the strikes.
“There’s been significant fire damage and fire loss in communities around the country, so there have been some consequences of our actions."
During the most recent strike there were 15 incidents nationwide, eight of which were in areas impacted by the strike.
Five were false alarms and one was a minor car crash. One was for a minor incident, and one was for a medical call that was responded to by volunteers.
Pay remained a central point for the dispute, alongside working conditions and staffing levels.
NZPFU national secretary Wattie Watson said in a press release firefighters have not seen a pay increase since July 1 2023.
“I survive on overtime because on my base salary I won't be able to survive with my family. So I'm happy to work overtime. I'm just not happy to do an extra 25 hours a week every week, 52 weeks," he said.
FENZ said it remained committed to achieving a fair and sustainable settlement.
Deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said its most recent offer would have delivered a 2.2 per cent increase from December 1 2025, and a further 2.2 per cent from January 1 2027, at a cost of $50 million over four years.
“As we have unfortunately seen, strike action creates real risk for the public. We continue to call on the NZPFU to call off these reckless strikes while we remain engaged with the Employment Relations Authority to try to reach a resolution."
During strike action FENZ urged the public to remain vigilant. Emergencies were prioritised and volunteer crew members would attend from neighbouring stations.
Less serious incidents may not be attended during the strike period. But FENZ urged people to still call 111 and take safety measures if they saw a fire.